Y Careers
Y Careers is a not-for-profit Group Training Organisation and subsidiary of Y Australia (YMCA) that places young Australians aged 18-26 into paid traineeships in childcare, aged care, OSHC, and disability support, acting as their legal employer while delivering national workforce solutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersAustralia, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Y Careers does
Y Careers is a not-for-profit social enterprise and Group Training Organisation (GTO) operating as a subsidiary of Y Australia (formerly YMCA), founded in 2022 and headquartered in Essendon Fields, Victoria, Australia. The organisation addresses two structural labour market problems simultaneously — youth underemployment and acute workforce shortages in education and care sectors — by placing young Australians aged 18-26 into paid traineeships across Early Childhood Education & Care (ECEC), Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), Aged Care, and Disability Support. As a GTO, Y Careers acts as the legal employer of trainees, handling payroll, superannuation, compliance, and onboarding, while placing them with host employer partners for the practical component of nationally recognised Certificate III and Diploma qualifications. The organisation has set a five-year target of 15,000 youth employment outcomes and 30,000 total placements.
Y Careers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Y Careers
- Legal name
- Y Careers
- Website
- https://ycareers.org.au
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Y Careers is a not-for-profit Group Training Organisation and subsidiary of Y Australia (YMCA) that places young Australians aged 18-26 into paid traineeships in childcare, aged care, OSHC, and disability support, acting as their legal employer while delivering national workforce solutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Y Careers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Workforce Development Services
- NAICS
- Apprenticeship Training (611513), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms (EDAFAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)
Keywords
Where Y Careers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Australia
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Y Careers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Employer Partnership Fees: Y Careers charges Employer Partners an hourly rate for each trainee, which includes wages, superannuation, leave entitlements, education fees, workers compensation, pre-employment checks, PPE, and career coaching support. As a registered charity and not-for-profit social enterprise, pricing is quote-based.
- Recruit, Coach & Retain Fixed Fee: Fixed fee of $3,000 for the recruitment and placement of qualified professionals, with a 3-month replacement guarantee and 6 months of career coaching included.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Recruit, Coach & Retain Program |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Traineeship Services for Employers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Y Careers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Y Careers is a not-for-profit Group Training Organisation that places paid trainees with host employers across ECEC, OSHC, Aged Care, and Disability Support sectors in Australia. It serves as the legal employer of trainees, handles payroll, compliance, and education delivery through RTO partners, and pairs each trainee with a dedicated Career Coach. Its Connect Different mobile app, featuring AI companion JETT, delivers training resources, job pathways, and ongoing support in a single digital environment.
Product overview
Y Careers is a not-for-profit social enterprise and Group Training Organisation (GTO) that operates as a subsidiary of The Y (formerly YMCA). The company offers a portfolio of workforce development products centered on paid traineeships for young Australians (18-26) in the education and care sectors. The core offering is the Traineeship Program, where Y Careers acts as legal employer and places trainees with host employers across Early Childhood Education & Care, Out of School Hours Care, Aged Care, and Disability Support. Supporting products include Career Coaching services (personalized mentoring throughout programs), the Connect Different App (mobile platform with AI companion JETT), the Recruit, Coach & Retain Program (qualified staff placement with ongoing coaching), and the Managed Traineeship Service (admin/compliance support for direct employers). The portfolio operates as a unified service model rather than discrete software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Traineeship Program Paid traineeship program for young Australians (18-26) to earn while learning in ECEC, OSHC, Aged Care, and Disability Support. Y Careers acts as the legal employer (Group Training Organisation) and places trainees with host employer partners, handling payroll, compliance, and career coaching.
- Jobs Placement Service Job placement service matching already-qualified individuals with employer roles in education and care sectors.
- Managed Traineeship Service For employers who prefer to directly employ trainees. Y Careers handles recruitment, onboarding, compliance, administration, and career coaching while the employer remains the legal employer.
- Recruit, Coach & Retain Program Recruitment service matching qualified job seekers with employers in education and care sectors, including 6 months of Career Coaching support and a 3-month replacement guarantee at a fixed AUD 3,000 fee.
- Early Childhood Education & Care Traineeship 18-month full-time traineeship (minimum 38 hours/week) studying Certificate III or Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care.
- Out of School Hours Care Traineeship 18-month part-time traineeship studying Certificate III in Community Services, Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care, or equivalent qualification.
- Aged Care Traineeship 12-month full-time personal care worker traineeship (up to 38 hours/week) studying Certificate III in Individual Support, with optional second year for Certificate IV in Ageing Support.
- Disability Support Traineeship 12-month full-time traineeship (minimum 38 hours/week) studying Certificate III in Individual Support, with optional second year for Certificate IV in Disability Support.
- Connect Different App Mobile application providing trainees with training resources, job pathways, and AI companion support (JETT) in one centralised platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15,000 young people to be employed over 5 years
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Y Careers
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Y Careers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Y Careers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Y Australia (The Y / YMCA)coreParent organization and initiative holder. Y Careers is an innovative social enterprise and subsidiary of The Y (formerly YMCA).
- Social Ventures AustraliasupportingPartner organization supporting Y Careers social enterprise model and mission.
- University of MelbournesupportingAcademic partner providing educational expertise and pathways for trainees.
- Swinburne University of TechnologysupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications. Delivery varies by region.
- ITFEsupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications.
- TAFE QueenslandsupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications in Queensland.
- CQUniversity AustraliasupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications.
- Adapt EducationsupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications.
- Skilled CaresupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications.
- Insight TrainingsupportingRTO partner for delivery of traineeship qualifications.
- Learning Creates AustraliasupportingPartner organization supporting vocational education and training innovation.
- Y LabsupportingInnovation lab associated with Y Australia, supporting development of new approaches.
- Junior Adventures GroupcoreMajor employer partner operating OSHC and childcare services across Australia. CEO testimonials highlight value of Y Careers model for talent pipeline.
- BPA Children's ServicescoreEmployer partner in early childhood education. CEO testimonial praises wraparound support and scalability of Y Careers model.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Y Careers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MAS National: Australian not-for-profit GTO providing traineeship and apprenticeship services to host employers. Comparable GTO model with employer-funded managed-service revenue.
- Australian Training Company: Australian Group Training Organisation placing apprentices and trainees with host employers nationally. Comparable as a GTO with similar employer-funded placement model.
- Busy at Work: Queensland-based Group Training Organisation focused on traineeship and apprenticeship placement across industries including community services. Comparable as a regional GTO with similar employer-funded model.
- Skill Hire Australia: Australian workforce solutions and Group Training Organisation providing traineeships and apprenticeships to host employers. Comparable as a GTO with employer-funded placement revenue.
- MEGT (Australia): Australia's largest private Group Training Organisation, placing apprentices and trainees with host employers across multiple industries. Directly comparable as a GTO competitor with employer-funded managed-service revenue model.
- Sarina Russo Group: Major Australian traineeship, apprenticeship and employment services provider operating across care, construction and business sectors. Comparable in traineeship placement, RTO delivery and employer partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- APM (Advanced Personnel Management): Global human services organisation providing employment services, vocational training and disability employment programs in Australia. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in adjacent vocational and employment pathways.
- Navitas: Global education provider with Australian vocational and employment pathway programs. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering career pathway services, though operating in different sub-sectors.
- CVGT Employment: Large Australian employment services provider offering job placement, traineeships and workforce programs across multiple sectors. Overlaps with Y Careers on placement and traineeship services as part of a broader employment portfolio.
Others
- TAFE Queensland: Queensland public vocational education provider delivering Certificate III and Diploma qualifications including those used in Y Careers' traineeships. Comparable as a training delivery partner for traineeship qualifications.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Y Careers social profiles
Digital presenceY Careers compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Y Careers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Y Careers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Y Careers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Y Careers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Y Careers
What does Y Careers do?
Y Careers is a not-for-profit Group Training Organisation that places paid trainees with host employers across ECEC, OSHC, Aged Care, and Disability Support sectors in Australia. It serves as the legal employer of trainees, handles payroll, compliance, and education delivery through RTO partners, and pairs each trainee with a dedicated Career Coach. Its Connect Different mobile app, featuring AI companion JETT, delivers training resources, job pathways, and ongoing support in a single digital environment.
Is Y Careers a public or private company?
Y Careers is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Y Careers founded?
Y Careers was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Y Careers based?
Y Careers is headquartered in Australia, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Y Careers make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Employer Partnership Fees are the primary driver. The others are recruit, Coach & Retain Fixed Fee.
Who are Y Careers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MAS National, Australian Training Company, Busy at Work, Skill Hire Australia, MEGT (Australia) and Sarina Russo Group. Broad incumbents are APM (Advanced Personnel Management), Navitas and CVGT Employment. TAFE Queensland is listed as an others.
Does Y Careers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Y Careers.
What industry is Y Careers in?
Y Careers's product category is Workforce Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFAMAL, Internship/Apprenticeship Matching & Work-Based Learning Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAAAKAO, Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services. Its NAICS code is 611513 and its SIC code is 7361.