Sajo, your comment:not just useless short courses in introductory computing etc

These useless courses may be the only thing standing in the way of a highly experienced person, getting back into the workforce. To you, it may seem trite, but to those many such as myself who only need to learn a new skill - it can mean the difference of a great job and a lousy job.

I agree on good Uni courses and TAFE course, but its the people who are not chasing degrees,who are looking for work within the fields they have worked for many years. These people were often working in another sphere and did not ever get hands-on computer knowledge. The over 45's have much experience and knowledge to offer, and yet many really only need a short term course to get them back up and running. Any course which enhances and furthers a persons ability to gain solid employment is worth the funds to have them off the dole and into work as soon as possible. These people have paid taxes and are usually not the traditional dole bludger. There are many out there and the list is growing longer all the time. Of course, its also a matter that employers need to take their blinkers off, and see the value in older workers.

Well fair enough but I think Sajo missed my point just a little. I figure $2000 would buy a lot of babyfood, but I must remember that todays kids are infected with consumerism from an early age, as can be witnessed by their love of overpriced designer clothes, mobile phones and brain defillibrators (iPods). Guess I'm old fashioned. I miss the days when saturday morning cartoons were cartoons and not toy advertisments. Whoopsy daisy, our unaffordable lifestyles just got more unaffordable. As far as useless courses go, I'm up for another next week to get a OH&S green card, where I will be informed of the dangers of getting out of bed. This will cost me $130, 4 hours. The fact I did a 40 hour course in OH&S as part of my horticulture apprenticeship and have worked in heavy industry most of my life without managing to get myself killed means nothing these days. I get a feeling we might just have a little too much government and too little personal responsibility.

tinkerbell1952 - point taken - I was thinking more of the younger unemployed who we really need to be filling the skilled positions where the vacancies are. Obviously if all it takes is a couple of short courses to make all the difference then go for it. I am under the impression though that Centrelink makes the decisions as to what courses would be useful. I have known several over 45's who have been made redundant however it had nothing to do with lack of basic skills - most needed to change job entirely. For example a bricklayer who has hurt his back would need a totally different set of skills to get another skilled position which requires more than a basic training. Not trying to be trite - just practical.

"The more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." —Benjamin Franklin

To Gitmo et al:

With due respect for Ben Franklin, public provision needn't prevent poor people from providing for themselves too. Conditions on welfare payments may. Give everyone a liveable universal basic income regardless of their employment status, state of health etc. And fund it through progressive taxation. If capitalism can't afford that, it needs to be replaced.

Auntie
Disability Pensioner & Writer