Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor has announced Round Two of the Federal Government’s Empowering YOUth Initiatives Programme.

The Government is calling on not-for-profit community organisations to put forward proposals for innovative ideas that will help young people move into the work environment and reduce welfare dependency.

“This initiative will ensure young job seekers are provided with the opportunity to develop their work-life skills with the help of community based organisations,” Mr Taylor said.

The Department of Employment will partner with successful organisations to help develop, support and evaluate their projects and successful applicants will be announced in February 2017.

“The Government is looking to fund initiatives that will help young people to find and keep a job and to provide them with the skills needed to contribute to the future workforce, and the best way to do this is to engage job seekers with potential employers,” Mr Taylor said.

“In Round One there were many successful initiatives that have benefited young people living in Hume.

“Youth at Work is an initiative developed to assist young migrants to get a job in Greater Western Sydney and Skills Roadshow, which travels around regional NSW, was developed to offer advice to young people who are unemployed or at risk of disengaging from education or employment.”

For Round Two the Government will be targeting particular initiatives that focus on young indigenous people; young people in regions of high unemployment and looking at initiatives that support the required participant numbers.

The eligibility status has also been expanded to include all not-for-profit or non-government service providers, but limits applications to one application per organisation to simplify the assessment process.

Applicants will be able to apply for grant funding of up to $5 million.

All initiatives are expected to commence by 30 June 2017.

For more information on round two of Empowering YOUth Initiatives and the grant application process, visit: http://www.employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information.