• It's Official - 'Work-For-The-Dole' Has Failed
• Student Job Search Network
• Teac International Reference Group
• Income-Related Rents
• Social Worker Registration

It's Official - 'Work-For-The-Dole' Has Failed
A new report evaluating the work-for-the-dole scheme and charting its failure to get people off the benefit and into real jobs was released last week by Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey.

The November 2000 evaluation report, carried out by the Department of Work and Income's Centre for Operational Research and Evaluation, found that:

• beneficiaries are no better off in Community Work than if left on a benefit;
• their employment outcomes are lower than that of the comparison group not participating in Community Work;
• the probability of people achieving a positive employment outcome decreases whilst they are participating in Community Work; and,
• the negative outcomes are stronger for community work than for its predecessor programme, Community Task Force.

Mr Maharey said that the report proved the Government was correct to be scrapping the Community Work scheme. The Social Security Amendment Bill presently in front of Parliament abolishes community work and is designed to build people's abilities and to support them into paid employment. The new legislation will not remove sanctions when beneficiaries refuse to take up suitable paid work opportunities, but it will remove sanctions for non-paid work. A range of voluntary work activities will be available to give job seekers work skills.

• the evaluation report, The outcomes and impact of Expanded CTF and Community Work, has been posted on Steve Maharey's website at www.executive.govt.nz/minister/maharey/ctf/

Student Job Search Network
Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey launched a new $1.9m nationwide computer network for Student Job Search in Auckland last week.

Opportunities for summer employment are important to provide students with work experience and with savings for their coming year's study. An additional $3m was invested in Student Job Search in the Budget to assist it to find more work for students over the summer and to upgrade its technology.

The new state-of-the-art network uses Asia-on-Line's internet portal to create a customised Virtual Private Network offering a vastly improved service to students and employers.

The new system allows for efficient e-mail contacts with employers, on-line job boards, a reduction in telephone costs and an interface with the Department of Work and Income to enable the speedy exchange of information needed to confirm eligibility for the Community Wage Student and student allowances.

Teac International Reference Group
An international reference group comprising leading post-compulsory education specialists has been appointed to assist the Tertiary Education Advisory Commission.

The reference group will provide an expert stream of advice on international developments in post-compulsory education and training and act as a sounding board for the Commission. The group comprises leading educationalists from Finland, Sweden, Ireland, the UK and Australia.

Members are:

• Johanna Lasonen, Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland;
• Margareta Ronnback, National Agency of Education, Stockholm, Sweden;
• Edward Walsh, University of Limerick, Ireland;
• Ray Griffin, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland;
• Nicholas Fox, Learning Business Link, Kent, UK;
• Chris Robinson, National Centre for Vocational Education Research, South Australia;
• Mike Long, Centre for the Economics of Education and Training, Monash University, Australia; and
• Simon Marginson, Monash Centre for Research in International Education, Monash University, Australia.

Additional members are also being sought from North America.

The International Reference Group will be a "virtual" group by communicating largely by e-mail and virtual conferences.

Income-Related Rents
It is expected that low-income tenants will be more than $4000 better off each year when market rents are scrapped from 1 December. 58% of all state house tenants will be between $20 and $80 better off at the end of every week. Across the country more than 130,000 people living in state houses nationwide will benefit from the policy.

From December 1, 2000 all state house rents will depend on a tenant's income. Low-income tenant's will pay no more than 25% of their income on rent. A new social policy allocation process will also be used from next month. Statistics New Zealand figures reveal that universal market rents imposed by the previous Government saw state rents rise 106% from 1992-1999 while inflation rose 12%. Private rents rose during the same period rose 23%.

State tenants who receive accommodation assistance from the Department of Work and Income New Zealand must apply for an income-related rent because the assistance will cease on December 1st.

Social Worker Registration
Three hundred and fifteen submissions were received on the Government's discussion paper on social worker registration with a widespread consensus in favour of registration, Steve Maharey told the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers national conference last week. In general submissions favoured a certification model, where a registration board would be charged with establishing professional criteria against which to judge candidates. Options for registration are being considered and an announcement is expected shortly.