Understanding Awards

The purpose of this section

Clear understanding of awards underpins fair, compliant and sustainable employment practices. This stage supports teams to correctly identify and apply the appropriate award, ensuring roles are classified accurately and employees receive their minimum entitlements. It focuses on consistency, transparency and reducing risk by aligning pay, conditions and expectations with industrial requirements. 

This section is for Hub staff, partner organisations and universities responsible for recruiting or employing project staff, student mentors or facilitators. The resources focus on understanding and applying awards, particularly when establishing new roles, scaling programs, or navigating roles that sit across multiple functions or sectors. 

What is an award?

The National Employment Standards (NES) are the minimum employment entitlements that have to be provided to all employees. These standards are the foundational legal rights for most employees and cannot be overridden or reduced by awards, agreements, or contracts. 

Awards (often called modern awards) are legal documents that set out minimum pay rates and work conditions on top of the NES. They apply to employees in particular industries or occupations and provide additional details beyond the basic NES entitlements. Awards are created and regularly reviewed by the Fair Work Commission and locally tailored to industry or occupation needs. 

Commonly used awards

Educational Services (Post‑Secondary Education) Award 2020 (MA000075) 

Covers employees in the post‑secondary education sector, excluding universities. This includes RTOs, private colleges, vocational institutions, and some adult/community education providers. 

This award outlines the minimum employment conditions for staff working in the post‑secondary education sector outside universities - including RTOs, private colleges, vocational training providers, and adult/community education organisations. 

Higher Education Industry General Staff Award 2020 (MA000007) 

Covers general (non‑academic) staff employed in universities and higher‑education institutions. 

This award outlines the employment standards for non-academic staff across Australian universities and higher education providers. It can also be used in non-traditional higher education settings like RUSH. It applies to a wide range of professional, technical, administrative, and support roles, from entry-level to senior leadership. It refers to the different levels of workers under its classification as HEWs (Higher Education Workers). 

Comparing these awards

Understanding classification structures

Levels are the structured way that awards classify different jobs. They ensure employees are paid correctly and that roles are aligned with the skills, responsibilities, and qualifications required. In both the Post‑Secondary Award and the Higher Education Award, levels act as a framework for fairness, consistency, and transparency.  In the Higher Education Award, the term HEW (Higher Education Worker) refers to the different worker level classifications.

Understanding levels and/or HEW helps to ensure: 

• Role clarity for staff and supervisors

• Fair and transparent classification based on duties, not just job titles

• Appropriate pay and conditions aligned with the Award 

• Opportunities for review or progression where duties evolve

Overview of classification structures

Educational Services (Post Secondary Education) Award 2020 

This award uses Level classifications for general staff, tutors, teachers, and other roles. 

Key features: 

• Levels reflect skills, responsibility, autonomy, and qualifications. 

• Classifications are grouped into schedules that outline indicative duties and required competencies. 

• Levels typically progress from entrylevel administrative/operational roles through to specialist, supervisory, and senior roles. 

Higher Education Industry General Staff Award 2020 

HEW stands for Higher Education Worker. The HEW classification system groups general staff roles into levels (typically HEW 1 to HEW 10) based on:  

• Skill and qualification requirements 

• Complexity and responsibility of tasks 

• Autonomy and decision-making expectations 

• Level of supervision or leadership required 

• Each level corresponds with a pay rate and a set of conditions under the Award. 

Employers determine your HEW level when creating or reviewing a position. This classification affects your: 

• Minimum pay rate, as well as allowances, penalty rates, and overtime elgiivbility under the Award Fair Work Ombudsman

• Incremental progression