Eligibility Criteria
In order to be an Eligible Individual in respect of any training, an individual must be:
a) either:
- an Australian citizen;
- a holder of a permanent visa; or
- a New Zealand citizen;
b) enrolling and commencing training in a course or qualification provided by the Training Provider between the Commencement Date and 31 December 2020 inclusive; and
c) Under 20 or upskilling (that is, are you seeking to enrol in a nationally recognised qualification that is at a higher level than the highest qualification you have previously completed)
- under 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) and enrolling in nationally recognised training;
- over 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) and enrolling in nationally recognised training in a Foundation Skills List course;
- over 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) and enrolling in nationally recognised training as an Apprentice (not Trainee);
- over 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) and enrolling in training in the Victorian Certificate of Education or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (Intermediate or Senior); or
- over 20 years of age (as at 1 January in the year of commencement of training) and enrolling in nationally recognised training in a course that is at a higher qualification level than the highest qualification held at the time of the scheduled commencement of training.
In addition, an individual is only eligible to:
d) commence a maximum of two courses subsidised through the Skills First Program in a calendar year.Where an individual is enrolled in a course(s) that is scheduled to commence later in that calendar year, this course(s) must be counted for the purpose of this clause when assessing eligibility;
e) undertake a maximum of two courses subsidised through the Skills First Program at any one time;
f) commence a maximum of two government subsidised courses at the same level within the AQF in their lifetime; and
g) commence a maximum of two government subsidised accredited courses with the title ‘Course in…’ in their lifetime.
Please note that if you are eligible and choose to enrol under the Skills First Program this may impact your access to further government subsidised training.
Eligibility Exclusions
An individual is NOT eligible for government subsidised training if the individual is:
a) a student enrolled in a school (excluding a school based Apprentice/Trainee). This includes;
- any government, non-government, independent or Catholic school; or
- a student registered for home schooling in Victoria.
b) within the meaning of the Corrections Act 1986 (Vic), a prisoner held at a prison, including:
- Hopkins Correctional Centre (Ararat);
- Barwon Prison;
- Beechworth Correctional Centre;
- Dame Phyllis Frost Centre;
- Dhurringile Prison;
- Langi Kal Kal Prison;
- Loddon Prison;
- Marngoneet Correctional Centre;
- Tarrengower Prison;
- Metropolitan Remand Centre;
- Melbourne Assessment Prison;
- Fulham Correctional Centre;
- Port Phillip Prison; or
- Karrenga Annex
c) a person who is detained under the Mental Health Act 1986 (Vic), or the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 (Vic) or the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) at the Thomas Embling Hospital; or
d) a person who is detained (other than on weekend detention) under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) or the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) or who is held on remand in one or more of the following youth justice facilities:
- Malmsbury Juvenile Justice Centre;
- Parkville Youth Residential Centre; or
- Melbourne Youth Justice Centre
The exclusions do not apply to:
- Young people on community based orders made under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic); or
- Individuals held in Judy Lazarus Transition Centre
Who, subject to otherwise complying with the requirements above, may be eligible for training subsidised through the Skills First Program as they are able to physically access training outside of a custodial setting without supervision.
Skills First Program – Tuition Fees
Tuition Fees
Tuition Fees for each qualification can be found in the Statement of Fees. The Statement of Fees includes details of any other fees including but not limited to student services, amenities, and goods or materials. The student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. Additional Fees may apply on an individual enrolment basis.
Concession Tuition Fees
Concessions on tuition fees for Government-subsidised training places are available for the following eligible students for Certificate I – IV courses:
- Commonwealth Health Care Card holders, and their dependent children and dependant spouses.
- Pensioner Concession Card holders, and their dependent children and dependant spouses.
- Veteran’s Gold Card holders (but not their dependants).
- An alternative card or concession eligibility critrerion approved by the Minister for the puposes of these Guidelines
Concessions for applicants that meet the Government-subsidised funding criteria mean course fees payable are equal to 20 per cent of AAMC Training’s published standard Skills First Tuition fee.
Please note: Enrolment for eligible students is under the Skills First Program and may impact access to further Government-subsidised training. For above Card Holders, concessions do not apply to Diploma and Advanced Diploma level qualifications.
The concession rate of 20 per cent applies to all courses, irrespective of the course level, for individuals who;
- self-identify as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent;or
- are an asylum seeker or trafficked person under the Asylum Seeker VET program
Tuition fee waivers/exemptions
Tuition fee waivers/exemptions are applied to all courses, irrespective of course level, to individuals who are from;
Judy Lazarus Transition Centre – Individuals from the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre (as a prisoner within the meaning of the Corrections Act 1986) with written confirmation from the management of the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre; or
Young People on Community Based Orders – individuals required to undertake the course pursuant to a community based order made under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 with written confirmation from the relevant Youth Justice Unit of the Victorian Department of Justice and Regulation.
Forms and Policy Information