ways2work is part of the Victorian Government’s support for working families.

Its aim is to assist parents and carers enter or re-enter the paid workforce, and provide advice to prospective employers about creating a better balance between family and work obligations.

ways2work builds on successful strategies implemented as part of the Victorian Government’s Action Agenda for Work Family Balance. This agenda included research and practical programs designed to achieve a better balance between work and family responsibilities for Victorians.

Victorian Government research into the work and family needs of people in regional Victoria indicated a need for accessible resources to assist those wanting to return to paid work after caring for children. Regional employers also indicated interest in information about work and family balance. ways2work has been developed to help meet these needs.

The Victorian Government’s Returning to Earning Grants provide $1000 to assist the return to work of parents or carers who have been out of the paid workforce. Evaluation of this grants program indicated a need for additional, accessible information for parents to assist their return to work. The need for information about areas of skills demand was also identified in the evaluation. ways2work has been developed to assist grant recipients in their return to work.

In 2007, the Victorian Government established the Working Families Council to advise the Government about programs to support working families. The development of ways2work has been supported by the Council with the aim of providing further assistance to working families and their employers.

Aim

The aim of ways2work is to help address skills shortages in Victoria by providing:

• information to parents and carers about the type of skills needed by businesses in their locality.
• information to employers about workplace practices and employment strategies that will help them engage suitably skilled and focused employees
• advice to help Victorians of all ages re-enter the workforce

The ways2work target audience includes parents and carers looking for work, and employers looking for new employees.

ways2work is a dynamic website that will grow over time with input from parents, carers, employers, employees and others.

ways2work will assist:

• parents and carers with advice about returning to work after time away from the paid workforce because of family responsibilities. This includes information about areas of skills shortage, the range of options available to them in the occupations they wish to pursue, as well as other information designed to maximise their employment prospects
• employers with information about how to support women and men returning to work after periods of caring for children or other dependents, and
• older women who have spent more than 10 years out of the paid workforce, or have never been in the paid workforce.

The ways2work website will support the following:

• Working Families Council
• Workforce Participation Strategy
• Returning to Earning grants
• Working Families Program
• Regional Skills Shortage Surveys and
• Skills Victoria's Skills Stores

Policy

ways2work is one of the Victorian Government’s 2006 state election commitments:

For further information, see:

• Protecting Work Rights, Family Time & Workplace Safety
  
  
• Women: Improving Safety, Work Skills and Financial Security