20,000 young people on the PaTH to work

The Government’s commitment to getting young Australians working has reached another milestone with more than 20,000 young people placed into work under the Youth Jobs PaTH (Prepare-Trial-Hire) program.

Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Michaelia Cash, said Youth Jobs PaTH was successfully helping long-term unemployed young people gain skills and experience to improve their chances of being considered for a job.

“I’m pleased to mark another employment milestone under the Turnbull Government: 20,000 Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy agreements have been entered into under the Youth Jobs Path initiative — a tremendous achievement,” Minister Cash said.

“PaTH is providing young Australians with the specific work experience they need to build their skills and confidence. At the same time, an employer gets the opportunity to observe that young person at work and see if they are the right for their business.

“The Government recognises that the best way to get more young people into work is to build an economy that enables employers to be more productive and more competitive and to want to hire more people to cope with the increased workload.

“Our record jobs growth in 2017, continuing this year, shows we are creating the right conditions to support job creation,” Minister Cash.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin said Youth Jobs PaTH was an example of the Government implementing practical measures to help unemployed young people get the essential work experience they need to secure a job.

“PaTH is helping ensure our young people are building the skills that will equip them to enter the workforce and build a future for themselves,” Mr Pasin said.

“The Government is committed to getting as many Australians into work as possible, because we believe the best form of welfare is a job. PaTH interns are fast-tracking the skills they need to develop to become work-ready.

“I encourage any employer Baker who is thinking about investing in their business to visit their local jobactive provider, who will explain how they might be eligible to receive financial assistance under PaTH and possibly hire and trial a new employee,” Mr Pasin said.

PaTH includes three flexible elements:

• Prepare — Employability Skills Training courses help young people better understand what employers expect of them in the workplace and equip them with the skills, attitude and behaviours required for them to be successful in a job.
• Trial — local businesses are encouraged to take on a young person aged 17 to 24 in a voluntary internship for a period of 4 to 12 weeks. Businesses that take on an intern will receive a $1,000 payment, and young people who participate will receive an incentive payment of $200 per fortnight on top of their income support payment.
• Hire — a Youth Bonus wage subsidy of up to $10,000 (GST inclusive) has been available since 1 January 2017 to help more businesses hire young people.

For more information about Youth Jobs PaTH, visit: www.jobactive.gov.au/path

Contact: 8531 2466