QLD Skills Assure & Career Start Program

To access subsidised training through Career Start (General Training), you must:

• be a Queensland resident

• be aged 15 years or over, and no longer at school (with the exception of VET in Schools students)

• be 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

• not hold, or be enrolled in, a certificate III level or higher qualification completed within the last 10 years (qualifications completed as a school student, and foundation skills qualifications don't count).

• not be currently enrolled in another qualification, regardless of whether that enrolment is active, deferred, or on hold. This applies to both government-funded and privately funded courses (foundation skills qualifications don't count).

To access subsidised training through Career Start (Apprenticeships and Traineeships), you must:

• Be employed under a formal training contract for a qualification that is funded by the department.

• Be registered in the department’s training system.

• If not an Australian citizen, hold a visa that permits work in Australia.

• Not have completed more than two apprenticeships or traineeships within the past 10 years. This includes any completed while at school.

Some qualifications and skill sets may also have additional entry requirements or exemptions. These are determined by industry or sector requirements and national training package guidelines.

For more information regarding the Career Start Program, please ensure you read the fact sheet as released by the Department of Trade, Employment and Training.

It is important to note that an individual is no longer eligible for a government-subsidised training place under the Career Start Program once they complete a Certificate III level vocational qualification.

For more assistance on selecting the right course for you, please feel free to contact a Careers Advisor on 1300 616 180.

You can access up to two subsidised training places total, as either (a) one general training pathway for a Certificate III qualification plus one apprenticeship/traineeship, or (b) two apprenticeships/traineeships at Certificate II/III (incl. school-based apprenticeship/traineeship) plus one subsidised skill set.

If you do the apprenticeship/traineeship first, you’re not eligible later for a general Certificate III under the Career Start Program. You cannot complete two general pathway qualifications. An individual can complete no more than two subsidised apprenticeships/traineeships across core programs.