If you live in public housing and you are looking for work, then you need to be aware of the Victorian Government’s ‘Back to Work’ Scheme.
The Back to Work Scheme is about creating jobs for Victorians. The scheme encourages employers to hire disadvantaged job seekers by giving them financial and training support.
Up to $100 million is on offer to support businesses who hire disadvantaged job seekers, as part of a plan to create at least 100,000 Victorian Jobs.
Employers will receive a significant increase in Government funding for taking on eligible job seekers employed after 1 November 2015, such as;
- up to $12,000 when they hire long-term unemployed workers (“long-term” being 26 weeks unemployed).
- up to $5,000 when they hire retrenched workers, out-of-trade apprentices and young people aged between 15 and 25 who have been unemployed for three months or more
- up to $4,000 for training will also be provided to employers who provide accredited training to an eligible job seeker employed after 1 April 2015. This will be on top of any other payment provided through the Back to Work Scheme.
The criteria for eligible job seekers includes;
- public housing tenants
- apprentices or trainees
- people that identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- current or recent youth justice clients
- disability pensioners
- members of a drought-affected farm household
- refugees
- sole parent pensioner
- young person in or exiting out-of-home care
- people exiting the criminal justice system.
So if you are contacting employers, it might be a good idea to let them know that the funding is available and that choosing you as a new worker can be a rewarding experience.