Helping your clients

If you work with people over 45 who are not fully engaged in the workforce, and want to support them to achieve their employment goals, then your clients are likely to benefit from the Bounce Back into Work program. 

The following are examples of the kind of agencies and services whose clients would benefit from the Bounce Back into Work program:

• Financial Advisors – working with retired and semi retired people to manage their income
• Job Network Members – improve options for your 45+ clients
• Volunteer Agencies – keep your volunteers by supporting them to achieve a balance between paid and voluntary work
• Carer Support Agencies – support your Carers to broaden their lifestyle options
• Schools – support your parents to return to work
• Doctors – being under-employed can be detrimental to your patients’ health

Improve outcomes

The program is ideally suited to assisting you to encourage greater participation and job searching with job seekers who:

• Need more support than they are eligible for, e.g. JSSO clients of the Job Network.
• Are not keen to drive their own job hunting or lack the skills.
• Have given up and maybe need a boost and a new look at things.
• Are an unemployed spouse of a working partner, and not eligible for Job Network services.
• Those people who are not connected because they are parenting, or caring and are not actively seeking full time work.
• Those people semi self employed and on benefit.  They are likely to benefit from gaining skills and ideas of how to mix up their income (from various sources) to then go off benefit.
• Older job seekers who have ‘sea changed’ or semi retired but discovered they are financially short and need some paid work.
• Older job seekers who have been left behind and need encouragement to look at alternative options and industries.
• Are regular visitors to your service but who are not fully eligible and although self servicing need more assistance.

The Group Sessions provide on going support to clients who may not be eligible for the full range of Job Network services but need extra assistance.

Working with the sector

jobWISE and the Bounce Back into Work program is an Australian Government funded initiative happening in selected regions of Australia. 

Jobfind Centres Australia is delivering the program on behalf of the general employment services sector and this will create an increase in active job seeking and participation.

Those participating can come from any agency and will continue with the agency during and after the program.  Participants who gain work through the program remain an outcome for their linked agency.

Who is eligible?

The Bounce Back into Work program is open to anyone over 45 years who wants more work and is currently not working full time.  The program involves a one day workshop including     

• an overview of current and changing Labour Market conditions     
• managing a Mixed Income – how to manage several income streams to achieve financial independence     
• job search skills – a structured look at job search techniques and a self assessment process to assess what may be needed to enhance your clients capacity to secure a job
• an Opportunity Expo - a “trade show” of employment and training opportunities

For those who need further assistance, extra support is provided through the Group Sessions - 4 weeks of ½ day a week.  These groups will assist people to secure the work they are seeking.

Whilst all people over 45 years of age looking for more work are eligible to attend, the program is targeting people currently on benefit but not fully engaged with the Job Network.

Job Network clients who are on Job Search Support Only are eligible and will benefit from the program.

Other people can include:

• spouses of working partners
• semi-retirees
• self employed people
• home based carers
• people only working part time hours.

Reporting back to you

At the completion of the Group Sessions and with your client’s permission, a final report on what they have done, leads to be followed up and further actions needed, will be provided to you, to support your on-going work with your client.

You and your client will need to complete the Authority to Release Information section of the Registration process. This report can only be provided to you when your client’s permission is obtained.

How you can be involved?

We ask that you promote the Bounce Back into Work Workshops and Group Sessions to your clients and encourage people to register online when they are able and ideally whilst onsite with you. You can also assist your clients to use the other available modes of registration.
You may also participate in the Opportunity Expo and promote your agency’s services. The Opportunity Expo will be a “trade show” of employment and training opportunities and will be a great chance for your agency to reach this group of people. If you think your agency would be interested in participating in the Opportunity Expo, please contact Michelle Meehan on (03)6237-0733 for more information and registration details.

What we need from you

When a workshop is scheduled in your area, we ask that you promote the Bounce Back into Work program to your clients by:

• telling clients ‘at the counter’ about the program
• providing information pamphlets to clients
• putting up the Bounce Back into Work poster in your agencies’ waiting areas or other high traffic areas
• directing clients to the Bounce Back into Work website
• explaining the program to clients who have questions

Click here to complete an online registration with your client. We will need some information from both you and your client, so ideally you would complete this registration alongside your client.