Volunteer Online Employment Services Trial
From 9 December 2019, some job seekers took part in the Volunteer Online Employment Services Trial (Trial). Job seekers were referred to the Trial by Services Australia if they chose to volunteer for employment services. They could self-manage their job search through an online platform. These job seekers and ParentsNext participants were not referred to face-to-face services with providers if they wanted assistance to find work.
The Trial tested whether volunteers could self-manage effectively with online services and tested the digital approach to service delivery.
Eligibility
Individuals on certain types of income support or not on income support, were eligible for the Trial.
ParentsNext participants could choose to take part in the Trial as their ParentsNext activity.
From 1 July 2021, new job seekers with disability who were not on income support, were not eligible for Disability Employment Services (DES). These job seekers were instead eligible for the Trial.
Job seekers who needed help with workplace adjustments or advice on disability employment could still access support services, like JobAccess.
Individuals who were a:
- retrenched worker and their partner
- newly arrived refugee
- certain vulnerable youth
could directly register with an employment services provider.
What help was available?
There was information to help with job search on the dashboard, the (then) jobactive website and the jobactive YouTube channel.
Individuals could access the Volunteer Online Employment Services Trial any time from their smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.
Individuals aged between 15-24 may have been eligible for three one-hour Youth Advisory Sessions. At these sessions individuals could get advice on preparing for an interview or improving job search skills plus more!
Career Transition Assistance (CTA) is for people aged 45 and older. CTA helps build skills and confidence to be more competitive in the local job market.
The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program provides free training in reading, writing, maths and computer skills to help individuals find a job or a future training pathway.
Individuals who wanted to start and run a new small business, may also have been eligible to participate in the (then) New Business Assistance with NEIS.
Individuals could also visit the Job Outlook website to use the Skills Match tool to find out the types of work that might suit them.
The National Careers Institute website provided more career information and support.
Service Guarantee
Volunteer Job seekers in the Trial could refer to the Volunteer Online Employment Services Guarantee. The Service Guarantee set out the expected level of service.
For job seeker under jobactive, the Service Guarantee for jobactive set out the expected level of service, and the requirements that needed to be met while looking for work.
Volunteer Online Employment Services Trial Fact Sheets
Translated Online Employment Services Trial Participant Fact Sheets
More Information
More information was available at Information for job seekers who wished to access employment services as a volunteer.
Online Employment Services Trial
The Online Employment Services Trial (OEST) operated between 1 July 2018 - 15 April 2020. The aim of OEST was to test a digital platform to allow job-ready job seekers to self-manage their job search. It explored how to implement mutual obligation requirements online. OEST and the New Employment Services Trial worked together to find digital solutions to help job seekers.
Visit the OEST evaluation page for more information about the key findings.
More Information
In April 2020, the Government launched Online Employment Services (OES) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that increased demand for Centrelink payments and employment services. The build of OES was based off of the OEST.
