Funding details were released in an exposure draft earlier this month and include changes to the Work For The Dole scheme.

“The aim here is to create more opportunities to build skills and get a job and also to create a mutual obligation,” Mr Taylor said.

“At the moment there is too much time filling out forms and not enough time finding people jobs.”

He said Work For The Dole will fall into the obligation mentality, with a “greater focus” on younger people.

“The obligation will be greater for the younger ones and will tail off as you get older... the aim of that is to get people work ready, and have them in a situation where they are building the skills you need to hold down a job.”

Most job-seekers under 50 will be required to participate in the Work For The Dole scheme for either 15 or 25 hours per week for half of the year, depending on their age.

A Work For The Dole coordinator will be placed in each employment region to source places for participants.

Mr Taylor said Dole jobs will align closely with the not-for-profit sector and the Federal Government’s Green Army initiative.

“There’s a whole range of things we are looking at. It could be as simple as planting trees inline with what we are doing in Green Army or cleaning up river banks. It will tend to be in the not for profit sector and it will link closely with the green army initiative,” he said.

The draft scheme also details a benchmark figure for how many applications job-seekers will be required to submit to employers per month. The proposed number is 40.

“We are expecting people to make a significant effort to look for a job themselves, and that may mean making regular applications,” Mr Taylor explained.

“From my point of view that number is a detail that will be sorted out but what is far more important is the obligation...”

Minister for Employment Eric Abetz said the changes come following a decrease in results from the current Job Services Australia system, which has “lost focus and become mired in red-tape”.

“The Government is committed to a new approach that will deliver better outcomes for job seekers and employers and better value for taxpayers’ money,” Senator Abetz said.

LOCAL job service provider Mission Australia has been one of many organisations calling for significant reforms to the Job Services system to improve the way job seekers are assisted into the workforce.

Like all organisations, Mission Australia will be going through the details provided in the exposure draft to understand what the new changes will mean and whether they will result in better outcomes for the unemployed.

Mission Australia CEO Catherine Yeomans said initial analysis of the draft indicated some promising moves, including five year contracts, more focus on job outcomes, flexibility for those with special needs and regional loading.

She said the proposed Work for the Dole system needs to have an increased focus on building actual job-skills, rather than just community service odd-jobs.

“Work for the dole can be a valuable part of assisting people into the workforce. But in order to achieve this goal, it must have a focus on real job outcomes,” she said.

“For young job seekers in particular, their lack of work experience – and in some cases simple life skills that go to their employability – can be a major barrier in a competitive labour market.

“If Work for the Dole provides real opportunities for job seekers to gain skills and experience in a way that will boost their chances of employment, this will be a useful tool for helping people into the workforce… “Finally, we must acknowledge the real need for job creation in order to provide the opportunities for these job seekers to transition in to once these new skills are obtained.”

Ms Yeomans said Mission Australia remains concerned that the changes proposed within the frame of Federal Budget would see a young person who doesn’t have the support of their parents, having no access to any income whatsoever.

“There is an important role for government to support young people during these periods both financially and with programs that help improve their chances of securing a job and getting their lives on track,” she said.

“We need to be investing in the next generation at this crucial point in their lives by giving them the best possible support to ensure they can connect with training and employment opportunities, rather than forcing them to crisis point.”

Further details of the proposal are included in the Exposure Draft for Employment Services 2015-20 Purchasing Arrangements at www.tenders.gov.au and comments on the proposed arrangements are requested by 25 August 2014.

The full tender will be released in September.