A job agency referred people into an online course created by a related company that asked basic technology questions such as “click on the laptop” and “click on the USB port”, featured a literacy and numeracy test and was described by one participant as “offensive”.
The Catalyst course is provided by Australian Employment and Training Solutions (AETS), the training arm of the multinational services company, Asuria, and was created specifically for the pandemic while many face-to-face training courses could not take place.
While Asuria, which has more than $150m in job services contracts under the new Workforce Australia system, said the course was “optional”, one jobseeker insisted it had been compulsory for them to keep their welfare payments.
Guardian Australia has been reporting extensively on how the mutual obligations system – which underpins the privatised employment services model – can lead to perverse outcomes for those made to engage to receive jobseeker payments.
Screengrabs of an early component of the three-week Catalyst course show the participant being asked a basic set of technology questions.
The test, itself completed on a computer, includes questions such as “click on the laptop computer”, “click on the USB port” and “click on the computer’s camera”, “click on the button … that turns the monitor on and off” and “click on any icon on the desktop in the picture”.
There is a series of 38 questions in total. Michael* had an extensive employment history working in sports and media roles and a tertiary education when he was referred to the course. He had lost his job due to the pandemic.
For the majority of the unit, Michael was taught about different job search techniques, tips for job applications, résumé building, email etiquette and asked to create a “personal action plan”.
He was also asked to complete a basic reading, writing and numeracy skills test, and complete “reflective” writing tasks such as asking himself “am I willing and able to investigate new industries?” and “what is the labour market situation in my area?”.
Another section was a four-page “working from home checklist” where he answered questions such as “is your workspace clean and well maintained” and “what is your internet connection”.
Jobseekers have long complained about being made to do “busy work” in order to keep their welfare payments, but the rise of such online courses has allowed them to document examples.
While elements of the course would be useful to other jobseekers, Michael was so offended by the course he made a screen capture recording.
He said he since found a new job in the sports industry, which he acquired after paying for a sports management course himself.
“They’re paying someone to provide this course,” Michael said. “It was a waste of time, waste of resources, it was offensive that I’m being asked to do this, and money is being spent on this which could be spent to help people in their chosen industries.”
Under the various employment services contracts, there are various ways job agencies can claim payments from the taxpayer for referring jobseekers into courses, including those run by the same company or a related entity.
These include “outcome payments” for when a jobseeker completes an eligible course, while in some specific cases job agencies can claim the cost of the course through a reimbursement pool of money known as the “employment fund”.
In one case revealed by Guardian Australia on Monday, a job agency claimed more than $100,000 by referring jobseekers to its own online short courses, which included topics such as “body language” and “making decisions”.
Guardian Australia was unable to confirm whether Asuria or AETS claimed any payments from taxpayers for the Catalyst course referrals.
An Asuria spokesperson declined to answer specific questions from Guardian Australia, including the cost of the course, or whether Asuria had claimed outcome payments or other fees from the employment fund for referring participants to Catalyst.
“The Catalyst course is an optional, online, self-paced training program launched in 2020 in direct response to Covid lockdown measures, offering remote assistance to the recently unemployed looking to re-enter the workforce at the earliest opportunity,” the spokesperson said.
“While participation in the course helps job seekers to fulfil their mutual obligations, it is not mandatory, nor is it a requirement to maintain Centrelink payments.”
The Asuria spokesperson said the brief computer literacy test was used to “establish each participant’s ability to complete the course unassisted” and allowed them to “gain a Statement of Attainment from the nationally accredited Business Services Training Package”.
“All Catalyst course candidates are contacted prior to enrolment to ensure that they understand what the course entails and to check their suitability.”
Kristin O’Connell, a spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, said: “We’ve received a lot of complaints about how embarrassingly bad and demeaning these courses are but frankly this one has me speechless.
“This is the inevitable outcome when you have these kind of perverse incentives in place – the government cannot claim ignorance about this problem.”
Under the new Workforce Australia model, Asuria has expanded its footprint, gaining a $115m Workforce Australia contract while AETS was awarded a $65m Employability Skills Training (EST) contract.
The Catalyst course is not part of the EST program, but has many of the same elements.
Guardian Australia revealed last week that the employment services industry had successfully lobbied to stop a proposed ban on job agencies referring jobseekers to EST, which was expanded under the new Workforce Australia model.
The Australian Council of Social Service has also warned against the focus on Employability Skills Training, saying it was a “slight” on those who were already experienced workers. It will see more than $500m in payments flow to private providers in the new system over the next five years.
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations did not answer specific questions about the Catalyst course.
The Albanese government on Tuesday announced it would establish a parliamentary committee to look at Workforce Australia after flagging concerns about the design of the contracts.
*Name changed for privacy.
Do you know more? luke.henriques-gomes@theguardian.com
