Developing high-quality career development services through innovative partnerships

To be eligible you must have an Australian business number (ABN) and be one of the following entities:

• an entity, incorporated in Australia
• an incorporated not for profit organisation

• a primary or secondary school that is registered with a state or territory authority

• an Australian local government agency or body as defined in section 14 of the guidelines
• an Australian State/Territory Government agency or body.

Joint applications are mandatory and you must have a lead organisation who is the main driver of the project and is eligible to apply. For further information on joint applications, refer to section 7.1 of the grant guidelines.

Government schools without an ABN may apply using their state or territory department’s ABN.

We can only accept applications where you have identified one or more partners that will support the delivery of your project. You must include partners from BOTH categories (unless you are one of the categories) below:

• a school/group of schools, educators/group of educators, community group or organisation focussed on services to young people
• an employer/employer group, industry body or training organisation (including group training organisations).

If you, as the lead applicant fall under one category, you only need to include a partner from the other category because you will list yourself against your category.

Some examples of partnerships, and how to list them in the application form are included below:

1. I am an industry body and I am the applicant, and I am partnering with a school. You would list yourself against category 2, and the school against category 1. By doing this you have listed a partner from each category.
2. I am a group of educators and I am the applicant, and I am partnering with a community organisation. This partnership is not eligible as both partners are from category 1. If you are a group of educators and the applicant, you can only have yourself against category 1. To be eligible, your partner needs to be from category 2.
3. I am a community organisation and the applicant, and I am partnering with an employer and a training organisation, so I have 3 organisations in my partnership. Two partners are from category 2 and one partner is from category 1. By having this, and listing them in these categories, you have listed a partner from each category.

Not eligible

You are not eligible to apply if you are:

• an organisation, or your project partner is an organisation, included on the National Redress Scheme’s website list of ‘Institutions that have not joined or signified their intent to join the Scheme’ (www.nationalredress.gov.au)
• an employer of 100 or more employees that has not complied with the Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)
• an individual
• an unincorporated association
• any organisation not included in section 4.1 of the grant opportunity guidelines
• a trust (however, an incorporated trustee may apply on behalf of a trust)
• a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.

To be eligible your project must:

• target young people aged 15-24
• be aimed at developing or expanding innovative approaches to improving career guidance projects, activities or services, as referred to in the glossary in section 14 of the grant opportunity guidelines
• address career guidance service gaps by developing and/or enhancing partnerships between employers, training providers, schools and community organisations,
• have at least $20,000 in eligible expenditure.

Eligible activities may include but are not limited to:

• delivering innovative career guidance programs, initiatives or services directly assisting:
  • disengaged young people (not in education or training)
  • young people whose careers have been impacted by COVID-19
  • young Indigenous people
  • young migrant people
  • unemployed young people.
• establishing or enhancing career guidance programs, initiatives or services with business/industry partners
• building career guidance capacity in organisations/groups that focus on young people and/or young people’s issues
• building career advice capacity for young people in schools and facilitating stronger links between employers, training providers, schools and community organisations
• growing awareness of new and emerging industries and skills in demand, enhancing connections to industry and employers.

We may also approve other activities.

You can only spend grant funds on eligible expenditure you have incurred on an agreed project as defined in your grant agreement.

Eligible expenditure items are:

• salaries and on-costs for personnel directly employed for the project activities (this should be calculated on a pro-rata basis relative to their time commitment)
• contractor costs
• costs related to recruiting or contracting specialist staff directly related to the project
• purchase of computing equipment and software directly related to the project
• costs of developing and delivering workshops, professional development, networking events forums, and courses (including travel costs for key participants)
• developing and producing communications and marketing collateral, e.g. brochures, pamphlets and promotional items that are directly related to the project
• domestic travel limited to the reasonable cost of accommodation and transportation required to conduct agreed project and collaboration activities in Australia
• the cost of an independent audit of project expenditure (where we request one) up to a maximum of 1 per cent of total eligible project expenditure.

We may update the guidance on eligible and ineligible expenditure from time to time. If your application is successful, the version in place when you submitted your application applies to your project.

• If your application is successful, we may ask you to verify project costs that you provided in your application. You may need to provide evidence such as quotes for major costs.

Not all expenditure on your project may be eligible for grant funding. The Program Delegate (who is a manager within the department with responsibility for the program) makes the final decision on what is eligible expenditure and may give additional guidance on eligible expenditure if required.

To be eligible, expenditure must:

• be a direct cost of the project
• be incurred by you for required project audit activities.

You must incur the project expenditure between the project start and end date for it to be eligible unless stated otherwise.

You may elect to commence your project from the date we notify you that your application is successful. We are not responsible for any expenditure you incur until a grant agreement is executed. The Commonwealth will not be liable, and should not be held out as being liable, for any activities undertaken before the grant agreement is executed.