Subsidised training

The Certificate 3 Guarantee helps support eligible students to complete their first post-school certificate III level qualification. You may be eligible to receive a subsidy towards one certificate III qualification from a list of government subsidised courses at TAFE Queensland . Visit the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training website to see which qualifications and skill sets are subsidised under the Certificate 3 Guarantee program.

Certificate 3 Guarantee explained

If your course is eligible, the Queensland Government will pay the subsidy directly to TAFE Queensland. The level of the government subsidy varies depending on the demand for skilled workers in each industry. You will be required to contribute to the costs of your training through a co-contribution fee.

Certificate 3 Guarantee eligibility

To be eligible for the Certificate 3 Guarantee you must meet the following criteria:

• not hold or be currently enrolled in a certificate III or higher level qualification (does not include qualifications completed in secondary school)
• be 15 years or older
• have completed or left secondary school
• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident residing in Queensland, or New Zealand citizen permanently residing in Queensland

If you’re studying one of our degree programs you may be eligible for a government subsidy known as a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). The amount the government subsidises for you is not a loan, and you will not have to pay it back.

CSP explained

As a Commonwealth supported student, if eligible, the Australian Government will pay part of the fees for your degree directly to your education provider.

You will only need to pay the remainder of the fees known as the student contribution amount. You may also be eligible for a HECS-HELP loan to help you pay your student contribution amount.

CSP eligibility

To be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place, you must:

• be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen or the holder of a permanent visa
• meet the relevant citizenship and residency requirements
• be enrolled in each unit at your university by the census date
• read the relevant edition of the HECS-HELP and Commonwealth supported places information booklet
• submit a valid Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP form to by the census date (or earlier administrative date); and
• finalise your payment arrangements for your student contributions with by the census date.

If you're currently working or have experience in the Queensland building and construction industry, you may be able to study courses subsidised by Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ). CSQ is an independent industry-funded body supporting employers, workers, apprentices, and career seekers in the building and construction industry.

TAFE Queensland is a proud recipient of Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) funding for a range of courses under five programs – Short Courses, Apprentice Advance Plus, Small Business Program, Skills Assessment and Gap Training, and Higher Level Skills programs.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TAFE Queensland, in conjunction with the Queensland Government, is offering a range of education and training to support individuals, and small, medium and large businesses

Micro-credentials are short, highly targeted courses designed to help you improve a specific skill. Our micro-credentials will help you improve your career prospects, maintain currency in your field, or allow you to try out something completely new.

Skill sets are a great way to quickly build on your existing skills or retrain in a new area without having to commit to a full qualification. Each skill set is made up of one or more industry-recognised competencies that provide you with the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for.

To be eligible to enrol in a FREE skill set you need to be:

• a Queensland resident; aged 15 years or over who is no longer at school; is an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident (including humanitarian entrants), or a temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, and
• a job seeker, and can provide evidence of access or intent to access the Australian Government’s JobSeeker payment, or a copy of an Australian Government-issued concession card or evidence that you have applied for an Australian Government-issued concession card or
• a worker who has been negatively impacted by COVID-19, experiencing circumstances such as one or more of, but not limited to the following; displacement, loss of income, reduced hours of employment, stand-down or other such circumstance, and if asked, could provide evidence of this.

If you meet the above criteria you are able to complete multiple skill sets, however you will only be able to enrol in one at a time.

To support Queensland's youth to successfully transition to employment, the government is offering fee-free training in high priority qualifications. The training is available through a range of certificate III level vocational education and training (VET) courses as well as apprenticeships and traineeships. View the courses offered by TAFE Queensland or the full list of high priority qualifications is available on the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training website.

Free TAFE for under 25s explained

Free TAFE for under 25s is available through two Queensland Government training investment programs: the Certificate 3 Guarantee and User Choice. It is available to a select range of high priority qualifications that will develop the skills most needed by employers and the Queensland economy.

Under this initiative the Queensland Government will cover the full cost of training for eligible qualifications. This means eligible students will not be required to contribute to their training fees.

Free TAFE for Under 25s eligibility

To be eligible to access fee-free training you must meet the following criteria:

• be aged under 25 years at the point of enrolment and not be at school
• permanently reside in Queensland
• be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrant), temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, or a New Zealand citizen
• not hold, and not be enrolled in, a certificate III or higher-level qualification, not including qualifications completed at school and foundation skills training.

The Higher Level Skills program provides a government subsidy to support eligible students to access subsidised training in priority skill sets and selected certificate IV or higher qualifications. Visit the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training website to see which qualifications and skill sets are subsidised under this program.

HLS explained

If your course is eligible, the Queensland Government will pay the subsidy directly to TAFE Queensland. The level of the government subsidy depends on the demand for workers in your chosen field. You will need to contribute to the cost of your training through a co-contribution fee.

HLS eligibility

To be eligible for the Higher Level Skills Subsidy, you must meet the following criteria:

• not hold or be currently enrolled in a certificate IV or higher level qualification (does not include qualifications completed in secondary school)
• be 15 years or older
• have completed or left secondary school
• be an Australian citizen or permanent resident residing in Queensland, or New Zealand citizen permanently residing in Queensland.

Other restrictions may apply to some programs, so check the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training website. 

The Trade Skills Assessment and Gap Training Program aims to assess the skills of experienced individuals who can demonstrate substantial competency in a priority trade qualification.

The TSAGT program's principal aims are to minimise current and potential trade skills shortages, address emerging trade skills needs in the economy or in communities, and support individual career advancement within industries and enable individuals to attain a qualification in a priority trade area.

The User Choice program provides a public funding contribution towards the cost of training and assessment for eligible Queensland apprentices and trainees. The program aims to provide funding aligned to the skills needs of industry and respond to changing government priorities.

User Choice explained

The program provides the flexibility for apprentices, trainees and their employers to select a preferred registered training organisation (RTO) from a list of pre-qualified suppliers (PQS) for the delivery of accredited training to meet their specific needs.

Usually students are required to pay a co-contribution fee. In some cases though, an RTO may provide either a partial or full exemption for a student in respect to the co-contribution fee. School-based apprentices and traineers are not required to pay a co-contribution fee while they are still at school, but may be required to pay fees once their training contract has been converted to full time or part time post school.

User Choice eligibility

To be eligible for a government contribution towards the costs of training, an apprentice or trainee must:

• have entered into a training contract for a qualification that is funded by the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT)
• be registered in DESBT's registration system DELTA
• the contract commencement date or recommencement date must be on or after 1 July 2010
• the training provider selected to deliver the training must hold a pre-qualified supplier (PQS) status for the nominated qualification