The issue

Young people in Australia are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than the rest of the working age population. An even larger group of young people are underemployed. The Covid-19 crisis has exacerbated the gap, disproportionately affecting young people at risk of long-term economic exclusion.

Mainstream employment services are often inadequate to meet the needs of young people experiencing complex barriers to employment. Young people are often placed into insecure roles that are not aligned to their skills or aspirations for work. These services are often hampered by overly prescriptive requirements and top-down delivery.

Review’s approach

Review influences systems to deliver better employment outcomes for young people by helping organisations deliver more effective youth employment initiatives. Organisations that deliver youth employment initiatives tailored to the individual and diverse needs of participants have a unique role to play in driving better employment outcomes for young people experiencing disadvantage.

Review promotes good practice in youth employment program design and delivery, supporting continuous improvement and better outcomes for young jobseekers. Review builds the capacity of youth employment providers to understand the effectiveness of programs and the impact that they have on young people’s lives. This enables providers to demonstrate value, scale their impact and improve their practice.

Organisations that participate will be able to view the results of their individual programs as well as have access to sector data against which they can benchmark their results. This data may also provide SVA with insights into general characteristics of effective programs, which can be extended to policy influencers and the wider sector.