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 a certificate III level or higher qualification (not including qualifications completed at school and foundations skills training)
• not be enrolled in another qualification (not including foundations skills training).
• 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, who will complete some of your course of study while resident in Australia; or
• a New Zealand citizen; or an Australian permanent visa holder; or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder; or a pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who studies the entire course while living in Australia (note: a PEV holder becomes eligible from 1 February 2024)
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) prior to the first census date (for new enrolments from 1 January 2021)
• have sufficient Student Learning Entitlement available (for new enrolments from 1 January 2022)
• meet the completion rate requirements (from 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023)
• not undertake more than 2 years' worth of higher education study within 12 months (unless your provider has approved you to take on more).
• submit your Request for Commonwealth support and HECS-HELP electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) 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 three programs – Short Courses, Skills Assessment and Gap Training, and Higher Qualifications.

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:

• 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.
• not hold a certificate IV or higher-level qualification, not including qualifications completed at school and foundation skills training; and
• not be enrolled in another qualification, not including foundation skills training.

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 trainers 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