Workplace Relations Australia: Investing in Experience - Gov't offers employers training grants for over 50's

Friday, November 11, 2011

Investing in Experience - Gov't offers employers training grants for over 50's

Skill shortages are still the major risk to most business achieving their strategic objectives. Finding the right level of expertise has always been a challenge but in our current competitive environment the demand for quality staff has exacerbated an already difficult situation. One source of expertise that hasn’t necessarily been given the attention it deserves is the over 50 age group category.

On average these employees tend to be more stable, bring exceptional levels of experience, tend to higher levels of engagement and stay in the job for a longer period of time. So they’re a great investment. Like all other hiring activities it is important to thoroughly screen candidates against the range of hiring measures defined in the job description. Should your short-list contain candidates who are over 5o, then the government has offered various incentives for you to hire them in that business which employ people aged over 50 will be able to apply for $5000 training grants in an effort to keep more people in the workforce.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Employment Minister Kate Ellis announced an expansion of the Government's $43 million Experience+ program to extend support to workers aged 50 years and over, down from a previous minimum of 55 years. Employers can apply for grants to train workers so they can become mentors to, or supervisors of, apprentices and trainees.

Australia has 3.1 million full-time and part-time workers aged over 50. The Experience+ program also gives on-the-job support for mature age workers whose jobs may be at risk due to poor health, injury or disability.

The Government will also announce a Corporate Champions project in which large companies will promote the benefits of hiring mature workers.
"The ageing labour force, combined with skills shortages, means it is more important than ever to encourage experienced employees to stay in the workforce," Ms Ellis said.

The Australian Industry Group- which along with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will lead the Corporate Champions project - believes it makes "sound business sense to encourage mature age workers to stay within the business".

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace relations provides a considerable amount of information relating to this subject including a white paper “Investing in Experience”. For more information click here. This post was inspired by an article by political reporter Alison Rehn.

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Did You Know?

The new Fair Work Legislation came into effect on the 1st July 2009 replacing Work Choices 1995 and the Workplace Relations Act 1996

Unfair Dismissal

As from 1 July 2009, employers who employ 15 employees or more will be now be subject to the unfair dismissal legislation. However businesses with less than 15 full time equivalent employees are exempt from unfair dismissal claims during the employee’s first 12 months of employment.

The unfair dismissal legislation only applies to an employee who earned less than $153,600 (to 30 June 2021), not including commissions and bonuses unless they are subject to a modern award or enterprise agreement.

Leave

Under the new legislation sick leave is now referred to as personal and Carer’s leave provision.

Under the New Fair Work Legislation, all employees who fall under the act are entitled to 10 days personal Carer's leave per annum

Employee's sick leave entitlement is cumulative and there is also no upper limit. All unused leave is cumulated year on year indefinitely.

While on unpaid parental leave, an employee does not accumulate annual leave and personal/carer's leave (which includes sick leave). However, a period of unpaid parental leave does not break an employee's continuity of service for the purposes of long service leave?

You may refuse a request for annual leave if refusal is reasonable and necessary because of your business' operational requirements. Accordingly you may reject the employee's annual leave application. If you decide to do this however, you should explain these grounds clearly to the employee and discuss other times that may be more suitable.

Fair Work Inspector

A Fair Work Inspector has the right to inspect your workplace as part of an audit campaign or in response to a complaint.

On showing suitable identification, Fair Work Inspectors may undertake inspections without warning if they believe work governed by national workplace relations laws is/has been done there.

During an inspection, a Fair Work Inspector can

i) inspect any work, process or object

ii) interview any person,

iii) require a person to tell them who has custody of, or access to a record or document,

iv) require a person who has custody of, or access to a record or document to produce the record or document either while they are on the premises, or within a specific period,

v) inspect and make copies of any record or document that's kept on the premises or is accessible from a computer kept there, take samples of any goods or substances.