[Sub ID 4670] Demand-led training and support (The Minderoo Foundation)

Submission ID: 4670
Organisation name: The Minderoo Foundation
Contact name: Mr Peter Murdoch
State: WA

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young parents

What need or issue are you trying to address?
We plan to address young parent unemployment primarily within the Challis Community Primary School (CCPS) in-take area, which crosses SA2 Seville Grove and SA2 Armadale, Wungong & Brookdale in metropolitan Perth.

DSS data from September 2016 indicates 1,033 families received a Parenting Payment, and 1,816 individuals received unemployment benefits within these two SA2s. Employment data for the same month reveals the average unemployment rate across these areas as 13.25%, nearly double the WA state average (6.9%).

Whilst the school does not record families’ income support status, strong anecdotal evidence indicates that many young parents who send their children to CCPS or the Challis Parenting & Early Learning Centre (CPELC) are likely to be unemployed and in receipt of a Parenting Payment.

Minderoo has invested in the CPELC since 2012 – enabling services that significantly improve the health and education outcomes of children. Since the inception of CEPLC, children have exceeded the state average in maths and phonics. These results highlight the importance of early intervention and have informed various government initiatives.

We plan to leverage off the existing young parent support services already provided by the CPELC and introduce a training and employment service based on the VTEC model (described below).

What is your idea?
The Vocational Training & Employment Centre (VTEC) model was designed by GenerationOne to create employment parity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. However, the model is equally applicable to young parents facing complex barriers to employment.

The model is unique in that it is demand led, with the guarantee of a job being the single most important feature. Government-sponsored training providers are linked with businesses who commit guaranteed jobs, and they co-design training packages for job-seekers relevant to the available position.

Job-seekers are matched with positions that interest them, and additional support services are offered to make them ‘work ready’. Training providers are only paid subsidies after the job-seeker completes 26 weeks of sustained employment.

The VTEC trial for Indigenous Australians recently placed over 5,000 job-seekers into employment, with a retention rate exceeding 70% at 26 weeks, vastly above mainstream employment services. These results showcase the transformative power of guaranteeing employment before the commencement of skills-based training and the potential for it to improve job prospects.

By using the VTEC model and leveraging off the services already delivered by the CPELC, we anticipate significant benefits for young parents and their children, including keeping them employed and off welfare.