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Enterprise and Career Education Foundation (ECEF)Questions & Answers
GeneralQ: Why is the Government bringing ECEF’s functions into DEST? A: The Government has decided to bring the functions of ECEF closer to Government to achieve a more integrated approach to support young people in their transitions through school and from school to further education, training and employment. The work ECEF carried out will continue but it will be managed by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). Q: When will ECEF cease operations? A: There will be a transition period up to 30th September 2003. This will allow time for the effective transfer of work to take place from ECEF to DEST and ensure that there is minimal disruption to any programmes or activities. Q: ECEF has only been in operation for less than 2 years and hasn’t had time to fully realise its potential. Isn’t this decision a bit premature? A: The Government wishes to consolidate its transitions programmes to avoid duplication or replication and to ensure more effective use of resources. This will more strongly align the Australian Government’s initiatives in this area. It will also produce efficiencies in terms of the administration of Australian Government programmes. Q: What is replacing the ECEF Board? A: The advisory functions currently performed by the ECEF Board will remain until 30 September 2003. The Minister intends to retain the advisory capacity of ECEF through a separate consultative body which he will establish to assist in developing transitions policy to support young Australians. Details of this body will be announced in the coming months. Q: What will happen to ECEF programmes? A: Programmes, projects and other initiatives currently run by ECEF will be managed by the Department of Education, Science and Training. This will be done primarily from the DEST National Office. Q: What will happen to organisations that currently have contracts with ECEF? A: Organisations with contracts under the core activities of ECEF such as the Structured Workplace Learning Programme, Enterprise and Career Education programme and the National Expansion of Geographic Coverage for Workplace Coordinators will be largely unaffected by the new arrangements. The main change for these organisations will be that their key contacts will be DEST contract managers rather than ECEF. For the most part it will be ‘business as usual’ and the majority of contracts will be transferred to DEST to manage. There may be a small number that DEST needs to examine further. Q: What is happening with existing contracts between now and when ECEF closes? A: ECEF will continue to manage existing contracts until they are transferred to DEST. The process of transferring contracts will commence as soon as possible. Organisations with contracts with ECEF should not notice any difference on a day-to-day basis. The majority of contracts will simply be transferred to DEST. There may be a small number which require further examination before a decision can be made. Q: Where can I get more information about these changes and how they might affect me or my organisation? A: If you or your organisation have a contract with ECEF you should contact the DEST Enterprise and Career Education Branch. You can contact DEST by sending an email to ecefinfo@dest.gov.au or by calling (02) 6240 8608. There is also information available through the DEST website www.dest.gov.au/ecef and the ECEF website http://www.ecef.com.au Contract specificQ: Will my payments still continue to come in? A: Yes they will, it is business as usual. The only change is that DEST will handle the payments. Q: Who will be my contact person now? A: It is our intention to inform you in writing as we go through the contracts. Your current contact at ECEF remains until you receive further advice from us. You can direct your enquiry via email to: ecefinfo@dest.gov.au or call 6240 8608 for further information. Q: Will I get a copy of the new contract with DEST? A: Yes. If the contract is being transferred to DEST, a ‘Deed of Novation’ will be signed by ECEF, DEST and the contracting organisation. This will have the effect of transferring all aspects of the existing contractual arrangement that you have with ECEF to DEST. A copy of the Deed of Novation will be provided to all parties involved. StaffingQ: What is happening to ECEF staff? A: The Minister has asked the Department to work closely with ECEF staff to support them in the transition period. A Change Management Officer has been made available to ECEF staff to assist them. Programmes (external providers)Q: How will this affect my programme? Eg. JPP, CATS, POEMS A: There should be no change to any current programmes and it should be business as usual for any organisation operating such programmes as well as for participants of those programmes. |
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