End Unpaid Placements for Community Services Degrees!

6 May 2024 update

Thanks to the incredible campaigning of ASU members, placements for social work degrees will be paid from July 2025.

Together, ASU members, students and academics have joined together to make sure all work is paid, including university placements

The ASU will work with our members through the detail of the announcement and continue to campaign for students studying community services degrees to have rights and entitlements of workers through their placements.

All work should be paid: support paid placements for community services students.

We have to act now! On Monday 22 April, Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged the cost-of-living pressures on students and flagged potential financial relief for students undertaking compulsory unpaid placements in the upcoming Federal Budget on 14 May.

We have the momentum – help us get over the line! Send your email to Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Education Minister Jason Clare– let them know that all work must be paid.

Our campaign champions a simple yet vital cause: every student undertaking compulsory Community Services Degree placements must be compensated for their work. It’s a matter of fairness and equity. Apprentices receive wages for their efforts—so why are Social Work students left uncompensated for theirs?

We’re calling on the Minister for Education, Jason Clare and Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers to introduce paid placements, including for community services degrees.

We want to see:

Funding provided to organisations that host students for placements, ensuring they’re paid at the minimum industry rate.
Employment relationships fostered between organisations and students, paving clearer pathways to meaningful careers in the sector.
Mandated requirements that education providers and placement agencies remunerate social work students at the minimum industry rate.

Why This Matters

We understand that work placements form the backbone of practical learning for many Australian degrees. However, these placements, demanding up to 1,000 hours of unpaid work for Community Services degrees, are not just unfair—they're unsustainable. This system forces students into a corner, choosing between their education and their livelihood, contributing to a dropout rate where more than 20% of Community Service degree students leave their studies due to financial stress.

Recognising this pressing issue, the recent Government announcements show that we are being heard and we’re close to winning.

By ensuring that these placements are paid, we can support students throughout their education, reduce financial barriers to completing their degrees, and build stronger bridges to employment in the community services sector.

Take action today

The budget is handed down on 14 May, so we have only a few weeks to make an impact. Emailing our representatives is a powerful way to advocate for change. Personal stories resonate, so while we provide a template, we encourage you to share your own experiences and reasons for supporting this cause.

6 May 2024 update

Thanks to the incredible campaigning of ASU members, placements for social work degrees will be paid from July 2025.

Together, ASU members, students and academics have joined together to make sure all work is paid, including university placements

The ASU will work with our members through the detail of the announcement and continue to campaign for students studying community services degrees to have rights and entitlements of workers through their placements.

All work should be paid: support paid placements for community services students.

We have to act now! On Monday 22 April, Treasurer Jim Chalmers acknowledged the cost-of-living pressures on students and flagged potential financial relief for students undertaking compulsory unpaid placements in the upcoming Federal Budget on 14 May.

We have the momentum – help us get over the line! Send your email to Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Education Minister Jason Clare– let them know that all work must be paid.

Our campaign champions a simple yet vital cause: every student undertaking compulsory Community Services Degree placements must be compensated for their work. It’s a matter of fairness and equity. Apprentices receive wages for their efforts—so why are Social Work students left uncompensated for theirs?

We’re calling on the Minister for Education, Jason Clare and Federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers to introduce paid placements, including for community services degrees.

We want to see:

Funding provided to organisations that host students for placements, ensuring they’re paid at the minimum industry rate.
Employment relationships fostered between organisations and students, paving clearer pathways to meaningful careers in the sector.
Mandated requirements that education providers and placement agencies remunerate social work students at the minimum industry rate.

Why This Matters

We understand that work placements form the backbone of practical learning for many Australian degrees. However, these placements, demanding up to 1,000 hours of unpaid work for Community Services degrees, are not just unfair—they're unsustainable. This system forces students into a corner, choosing between their education and their livelihood, contributing to a dropout rate where more than 20% of Community Service degree students leave their studies due to financial stress.

Recognising this pressing issue, the recent Government announcements show that we are being heard and we’re close to winning.

By ensuring that these placements are paid, we can support students throughout their education, reduce financial barriers to completing their degrees, and build stronger bridges to employment in the community services sector.

Take action today

The budget is handed down on 14 May, so we have only a few weeks to make an impact. Emailing our representatives is a powerful way to advocate for change. Personal stories resonate, so while we provide a template, we encourage you to share your own experiences and reasons for supporting this cause.

End Unpaid Placements for Community Services Degree

Where do you live?

Compose your email

Name

Email

I am working in the social and community services sector

I am a union member

Subject:

Dear Jim and Jason,

I am writing to you to discuss the urgent need for reform in the treatment of Social Work and Community Services students in Australia.

The Australian Universities Accord has echoed the call from students and the ASU and recommended moving to a paid placements model for degrees within the community services sector. However, as the Federal Budget approaches, this recommendation mustn't be overlooked.

Currently, students in these fields are required to complete 1,000 hours of unpaid work placements. This not only devalues their significant contribution to our society but also places them under immense financial stress, contributing to a concerning dropout rate among these students.

I urge the Federal Government to take decisive action by:
•	Funding organisations that provide student placements, enabling them to pay these students at the minimum industry rate.
•	Creating employment relationships between these organisations and their student workers, facilitating smoother transitions into the workforce.
•	Ensuring that education providers and placement agencies adhere to these standards, paying social work students for their valuable work.

The time for change is now. These students provide essential services that benefit us all, and it's only fair they receive the same employment standards as their counterparts in other fields. We cannot afford to lose the next generation of community services workers to financial insecurity.

I look forward to your support on this critical issue.

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