Skills First program
Skills First is a Victorian Government program that helps people access vocational education and training. If you are eligible, you can apply for a government-subsidised place, which means the government will contribute to the cost of your training.
Eligibility criteria for government-subsidised training
To be eligible for a government-subsidised place, you must meet various eligibility criteria and the course you’ve applied for must also be offering government-subsidised places. Swinburne will determine your eligibility by conducting a full assessment of your eligibility during the course application process.
General eligibility requirements
Citizenship
To be eligible for Skills First training, you must be:
- physically present in the state of Victoria at all times at which you are undertaking the training and assessment; and
- an Australian citizen or holder of a permanent visa, or a New Zealand Citizen (visa 444).
Age
Skills First prioritises training for young people (under 20), Apprenticeships and Foundation Skills, and otherwise requires students to do progressively higher qualifications to be eligible.
If you are under 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) you are eligible to enrol in any Skills First subsidised training at any level.
If you are 20 years of age or older (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) you are eligible to enrol in Skills First subsidised training in:
- a program that is at a higher AQF level than the highest qualification held at the time of the scheduled commencement of training (‘upskilliins’).
- a program on the Foundation Skills List (unless the individual already holds a qualification issued by an Australian VET or higher education provider that is at AQF level 5 (Diploma) or higher).
- training as an Apprentice (not Trainee) under an Approved Training Scheme.
- training in the VCE or the VCAL (Intermediate or Senior); or
- a Skills First funded Skill Set.
The Volume limits
There are also limits on how much Skills First training you can do, a Skills First Student can only:
- commence a maximum of two Skills First subsidised Skill Sets in a calendar year (the ‘2 Skill Sets in a year’ limit).
- commence a maximum of two Skills First subsidised programs that are AQF qualifications in a calendar year (the ‘2 AQF qualifications in a year’ limit).
- undertake a maximum of two Skills First subsidised programs at any one time (the ‘2 at a time’ limit); and
- commence a maximum of two government-subsidised programs in their lifetime that are at the same AQF level (the ‘2 at level in a lifetime’ limit).
Eligibility exemptions
Even if you aren’t eligible, you might be able to get an exemption that allows you to do Skills First training.
All students will be assessed and notified throughout the application process.
Specific eligibility requirements
An apprentice is a person who has entered into a registered training contract to study a qualification defined as an apprenticeship in a relevant Victorian Approved Training Scheme.
You are not considered an apprentice if you:
- have entered into a training contract registered interstate.
- are undertaking a pre-apprenticeship; or
- have a registered training contract in a qualification defined as a traineeship in a relevant Victorian Approved Training Scheme.
If you are commencing an apprenticeship that has already started or is scheduled to start in a qualification on the Victorian Government's list of Approved Pre-Apprenticeship and Pathway Programs you may still be eligible to enrol in two other vocational education programs in a government-subsidised place.
You are not eligible for Skills First subsidised training in programs on the Foundation Skills List if you:
- hold an AQF qualification issued by an Australian VET or higher education provider that is at AQF level 5 (Diploma) or higher.
- are enrolled in the Commonwealth Government’s ‘Skills for Education and Employment’ program.
The initiative is to support the Victorian Government’s industry plan for family violence prevention and response.
Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk
Exemptions from some of the Skills First eligibility criteria has been granted for individuals wanting to enrol in Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk.
When assessing an individual’s eligibility for a Skills First subsidised training place Swinburne University of Technology will not consider some of the Skills First eligibility criteria.
Provided you meet the following criteria, eligibility exemptions will apply:
You must:
- Be physically present in the state of Victoria at all times at which you are undertaking the training and assessment; and
- Be an Australian citizen or holder of a permanent visa, or a New Zealand Citizen (visa 444)
Completion in Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk will not be considered when determining an individual’s future eligibility for funded training.
Certificate IV in Training & Assessment
Exemptions from some of Skills First eligibility criteria has been granted for individuals who present with a referral letter from GEN VIC and are wanting to enrol in the Certificate IV in Training & Assessment.
Government initiatives
If you’re referred to training under a special government initiative or don’t meet certain criteria above, you may still be eligible for a Victorian government-subsidised place.
Government initiatives include:
- Free TAFE for Priority Courses — Free TAFE for Priority Courses is a Victorian Government initiative that will pay a student’s tuition fees, if eligible for government-subsidised training
- JobTrainer — Study for low or no fees with JobTrainer.
- National Infection Control Skill Sets — The Victorian Government, with the Commonwealth Government, is responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by fully funding five Infection Control Skill Sets (Skill Sets) for training providers to deliver to employed Victorian workers. These short courses will help workers ensure their workplaces are safe for themselves and the community and stop the spread of COVID-19.
Learn more about our Infection Control Skill Sets. - Asylum Seeker VET program initiative — subsidised study for eligible asylum seekers in courses at foundation, certificate I to IV and diploma level.
- Skills First Youth Access Initiative — free tuition for young people aged up to 22 who have been, or are on, a Child Protection Order, Family Court Order or a Youth Justice Order. Courses include certificates I to IV, diplomas, advanced diplomas and more.
- Latrobe Valley Initiative — worker Transition Service for employees of Hazelwood (including contractors, supply chain employees and their family members) and employees of the Carter Holt Harvey Mill in Morwell.
- Retrenched workers — subsidised training for workers facing retrenchment.
- Automotive Supply Chain workers — help for automotive supply chain workers with subsidised training.
- Jobs Victoria Employment Network
- Clients and/or any other specific cohort as determined by the Department of Education and Training
Not eligible for a government-subsidised place?
If you are ineligible for a government-subsidised place, you may be offered a full-fee place. You can get an estimate of your total course cost by checking the indicative course fees.
Fee concessions
Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for a concession to help reduce the amount of fees you need to pay.
Concessions on tuition fees are available for government-subsidised training in all courses below diploma level; and for training at any level (including diploma level and above) for Indigenous students.
Find out if you’re eligible for a fee concession.
Need some assistance?
We’re here to help. If you have any questions about your eligibility for a government-subsidised place or fee concession, contact studentHQ in person or call the team on 1300 794 628 (option 1) and we’ll assist you.
Ready to apply?
Now that you know if you’re eligible for the Skills First program, why not apply for your course?