The eligibility criteria and requirements set out in this Clause 2 must be read in conjunction with the Guidelines About Eligibility. In particular, these Guidelines set out which forms of Evidence of Eligibility are accepted by the Department and provide information about how to apply the eligibility requirements in particular circumstances.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for Skills First subsidised training, a student must be:

• an Australian citizen, a holder of a permanent visa or a New Zealand citizen (the ‘citizenship /permanent residence' eligibility criterion);
• enrolling in and commencing training in a program provided by the Training Provider between the Commencement Date and 31 December 2023 inclusive; and
• physically present in the State of Victoria at all times at which they are undertaking the training and assessment

as evidenced by one of the documents described in the Evidence of Eligibility and Student Declaration form.

The only exception to this ‘physical presence’ requirement is where a Skills First Student is temporarily located interstate or overseas for a defined period for a Practical Placement associated with their training. During the period the Skills First Student is interstate or overseas, they may receive Online Training and Assessment, provided that such Online Training and Assessment only accounts for up to 50% of the total Scheduled Hours.

Limits on the amount of training that can be subsidised

In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements above, 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). Where an individual is enrolled in a Skill Set(s) that is scheduled to commence at a later date in that calendar year, this Skill Set(s) must be counted for the purpose of this 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). Where an individual is enrolled in a program(s) that is scheduled to commence at a later date in that calendar year, this program(s) must be counted for the purpose of this limit;
• undertake a maximum of two Skills First subsidised programs at any one time (the ‘2 at a time’ limit); and

Additional eligibility requirements for Apprentices and Trainees

If an individual is an Apprentice or Trainee, to be eligible for Skills First subsidised training they must be:

• employed in Victoria in either a full time or part time capacity under an award or registered agreement;
• undertaking an Approved Training Scheme; and
• a signatory to a Training Contract with their employer that is registered with the VRQA.

Eligibility exclusions

An individual is not eligible for Skills First subsidised training if they are:

• enrolled in a school (unless they are a School Based Apprentice or Trainee).  This includes:
  • any government, non-government, independent or Catholic school; or
  • a student registered for home schooling in Victoria;
• a prisoner held at a prison within the meaning of the Corrections Act 1986(Vic);
• detained under the Mental Health Act 2014 (Vic), the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1997 (Vic) or the Sentencing Act 1991 (Vic) at the  Thomas Embling Hospital; or
• detained (other than on weekend detention) under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005(Vic) or the Sentencing Act 1991(Vic) or held on remand in a youth justice facility.

The exclusions described above in (b), (c) and (d) do not apply to individuals who are:

• either:
  • young people on community-based orders made under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005(Vic); or
  • individuals held in Judy Lazarus Transition Centre; and
• able to physically access training outside of a custodial setting without supervision.

Tuition fees for each qualification can be found in the Statement of Fees. The student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment. Additional fees may apply on an individual enrolment basis, as per our Terms and Conditions.

Concession Tuition Fees

Concessions on tuition fees for government-subsidised training places are for Certificate IV and below only. The Training Provider must apply a Fee Concession to a student who, prior to the commencement of training, holds a current and valid:

• Health Care Card issued by the Commonwealth;
• Pensioner Concession Card;
• Veteran Gold Card.

A dependent spouse or dependent child is also entitled to the Fee Concession. 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 tuition fee.

Fee Concession entitlement under particular Government initiatives

• 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
• Students who are under the Asylum Seeker VET program and are referred to the training organisation by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or the Australian Red Cross will receive the concession rate of 20 per cent to the Certificate IV and below only.

Tuition fee waivers/exemptions

Tuition fee waivers/exemptions are applied to all courses, irrespective of course level, to students who are from:

• Judy Lazarus Transition Centre – Students 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 – Students 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.