Smart & Skilled Eligibility Check

You may be eligible for government subsidised training if you are:

• 15 years old or over?
• no longer at school?
• living or working in NSW?
• an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand citizen?

If you answered ‘Yes' to all four questions, then you're eligible to enrol in a government-subsidised course with an approved Smart and Skilled training provider.

Types of courses you're eligible for

• Your eligibility for a government-subsidised Smart and Skilled course depends on your previous qualifications:
• If you haven't completed a Certificate IV or higher-level qualification, you're entitled to enrol in a subsidised course up to Certificate III.
• From 2016, students with a Certificate IV or higher qualification will be able to access subsidised Smart and Skilled training up to Certificate III level. This means that even if you have a higher level qualification you may still be eligible to re-train to enter (or re-enter) the workforce.
• You can also enrol in subsidised training at Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma level, depending on the availability of funding for these courses. Having completed a Certificate IV or higher-level qualification does not affect eligibility.

Other eligibility conditions

Your eligibility is not affected if you have completed a vocational education and training (VET) course, including a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship, as part of your high school education.

There are also some exceptions to the eligibility conditions described above, such as for Aboriginal people who live in specific, defined areas outside the NSW border.

Eligibility for apprentices and trainees

NSW apprentices and some new-entrant trainees may be eligible for a government subsidy for the training that supports their apprenticeship or traineeship. If you have already completed a Certificate IV or higher-level qualification, this does not affect your eligibility.

Other training options

If you're not eligible for Smart and Skilled training, or if your preferred course is not on the NSW Skills List, there are other training options, including fee-for-service training.

Important information

You'll need to confirm with your preferred training provider that they have places available in your chosen Smart and Skilled course at the time you wish to do it.