A taxpayer-funded program designed to help jobseekers find work is under fire after participants reported mostly receiving irrelevant training. Last year, the federal government signed a contract with providers to run Employability Skills Training (EST) courses.
The Department of Workplace Relations and Training said the EST program would help jobseekers become “job-ready” with intensive pre-employment training, however, Arthur, a 26-year-old honours graduate that was forced to take the course, said that the course mostly consisted of watching YouTube videos.
The videos included a motivational montage from a channel called “Law of Attraction Coaching”, safety protocols of a Dutch gas company, and an application guide for a Victorian Government tender. Other materials included videos on body language, the “hidden jobs market”, and setting goals.
Arthur stated that his experience was so bizarre that he documented the three-week course. He highlighted some of the videos he deemed “bizarre”, “irrelevant”, and “condescending”, including one from a UK job agency and a Ted Talk advocating vision boards.
To make matters worse, Arthur said instructors told the class to use ChatGPT — cognitive technology for human-like conversations — to write resumes and look into industries.
Following the Guardian Australia’s report, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned not to focus on ticking the boxes, but rather providing support for jobseekers. The Australian Unemployed Workers Union and the Australian Council of Social Service have long been raising issues on the quality of programs such as EST and work for the dole.
The companies Paramount Training and Wise Employment, that were responsible for the course, said that the content deviated from the usual structure and they have started an internal investigation. Paramount Training also offered all participants to re-enrol in the course. The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also engaged with Wise Employment to assess the appropriateness of the services provided.
Arthur found success shortly before completing the course, however, he remarked feeling embarrassed for the money invested in the program. It is paramount that jobseekers get the support they deserve, as these schemes offer great value and should be meaningful to help the unemployed through the on-going crisis.
