The program is targeted at unemployed and disadvantaged youth. Employers within the department and its controlled entities are encouraged to offer traineeships to young Victorians aged between 15 and 24 who fall into the following categories:

• Low educational attainment or attended a special school
• Unemployed or not working more than 15 hours per week
• Indigenous
• Disadvantaged in English literacy
• Have a disability
• Previous offender
• Retrenched from previous job
• Not currently engaged in tertiary education and have not attained higher than a certificate 4 qualification

YES offers an excellent opportunity to engage employees in a cost effective manner while providing young Victorians with a chance to develop solid career foundations in government and community services.

The Department of Human Services provides traineeships for young people (aged between 15 and 24 years) each year, with at least a third of these places being provided to long term unemployed or disadvantaged young people, including Indigenous Australians.

Aim of the scheme

• Maximise the opportunities for long term unemployed and disadvantaged groups, including Indigenous, especially in rural and regional settings
• Target placements in critical areas of service delivery where there is an unmet need and difficulty in recruitment, such as Child Protection, Disability Services, Housing Services and Business Administration
• Maximise opportunities for ongoing employment - while there is no commitment given it is a priority objective
• To build skills and opportunities in local labour markets

Traineeship opportunities

Obtaining a traineeship will provide meaningful employment opportunities. Traineeships are available in the department in a variety of areas including:

• Business administration
• Building and construction
• Community services and youth work
• Correctional services
• Customer contact
• Disability Services
• Financial Services
• Horticulture
• Information Technology
• Public services 

Traineeships are of 12 months duration with training provided by a Registered Training Provider. Flexibility is given to extend traineeships where required.

What the scheme looks for

Young people with a desire to make a community contribution and have the following attributes:

• like working with people
• interpersonal skills
• a desire to learn
• self confidence
• initiative
• energy

Where do you start?

Recruitment for the scheme usually occurs throughout the year. Positions may be advertised in all major newspapers, online job boards such as Seek and MyCareer and also through employment agencies in group training companies in your local area. Departmental vacancies may also appear on the department's online job search website.

Enquiries

For any enquiries or questions please contact the Youth Employment Scheme Co-ordinator on (03) 9096-1734.

General information

For general information on traineeships please visit the Youth Central website.

Information for this article sourced from: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/about-the-department/our-organisation/careers/employment-programs/victoriaworks-for-young-people?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=print