About Funding
Skills First Program
Skills First Program
The Skills First Program is the way that training providers are contracted in Victoria to deliver government-subsidised training to individuals.
Courses available under the Skills First Funding:
Eligibility Guidelines
Citizenship/residency
A student must be either:
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an Australian citizen
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a holder of a permanent visa, or
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a New Zealand citizen
Physically present in Victoria or a border region
A student must be undertaking all training and assessment while physically present in:
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the State of Victoria; or
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a border region with one of the following postcodes:
| NSW | SA |
|---|---|
| 2546 | 5262,5263 |
| 2548 – 2551 | 5267 – 5272 |
| 2625 – 2633 | 5277 – 5279 |
| 2640 – 2648 | 5290, 5291 |
| 2650, 2651, 2653, 2655, 2656 | 5302 – 5304 |
| 2658 – 2660 | 5311, 5333, 5340 |
| 2700, 2707 | 5342 – 5345 |
| 2710 – 2717 | |
| 2720 | |
| 2730 – 2739 |
The ‘2 Skill Sets in a year’ and ‘2 AQF qualifications in a year’ limits
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In a calendar year, a student may only commence a maximum of 2:
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Skills First subsidised Skill Sets; and
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Skills First subsidised programs that are AQF qualifications
The following scenario Do not count the following when determining if a student meets these limits:
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transitioning from a superseded program to the current version of the same program;
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recommencing training in the same program (at either the same or a different provider);
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enrolling in an Apprenticeship (not Traineeship) after having participated in one of the programs identified as a ‘Pre-Apprenticeship and Pathway Program’ on the Funded Programs Report;
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participation in ‘22510VIC – Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk’; or
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participation in Literacy and Numeracy Support Units.
The ‘2 at a time’ limit
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A student may only commence a maximum of 2 Skills First subsidised programs at any one time.
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Do not count the following when determining if a student meets this limit:
- 22510VIC – Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk’; or
- Literacy and Numeracy Support Units
ASYLUM SEEKER VET PROGRAM
Program settings
You may exempt an individual from the citizenship/permanent residence eligibility criterion (as set out in Clause 2.2(a) of this Schedule 1) if they:
a) either:
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are referred to training via the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre or the Australian Red Cross Victims of Human Trafficking Program and they present a ‘Referral to Government Subsidised Training – Asylum Seekers’ form
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hold, or are a dependant of an individual who holds, a valid humanitarian, protection or refugee visa;
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hold a bridging visa and have lodged an application for a humanitarian, protection or refugee visa; or
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hold a bridging visa and have lodged an application under section 417 or section 48B of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) which is yet to be determined; and
b) have study and if relevant, work rights.
To know more about eligibility please refer to the eligibility document.
Fees
These guidelines describe the requirements about tuition fees and other fees associated with Skills First training, and the financial and accountability requirements for fees.
To know more about the fees, please refer to the fee document.
Skills First quality charter
This charter explains what the department expects from training providers in their provision of key aspects of training services under the contract.
To know more please click here.
