Government Subsidised Place Eligibility
The Victorian Government provides subsidised places for eligible residents into many TAFE courses. This is via funding under Skills First. In general, you are eligible for a government-subsidised training place if you are:
- studying in Victoria for the duration of your studies
- an Australian citizen, or;
- an Australian Permanent Resident (holder of a permanent visa), or;
- a New Zealand citizen, or;
- an Asylum seeker/victim of human trafficking (you must have ARC/ASRC referral, or online VEVO validation by Institute staff)
and are any of the following:
- under 20 years of age
- any age and seeking to enrol in a Foundation Skills List course (and do not hold a Diploma or above qualification or are not already enrolled in Commonwealth ‘Skills for Education and Employment’ program)
- any age and seeking to enrol in VCE or VCAL
- any age and seeking to enrol in an apprenticeship (not a traineeship)
- any age and seeking to enrol in a skill set
- 20 years and older and ‘upskilling’ by seeking to enrol in a course at a higher level than your existing qualification (some exemptions and exclusions apply – see Eligibility Exemptions and Eligibility Notes below, or check with us if you are not sure).
and finally are:
- commencing/concurrently studying no more than 2 government-subsidised qualifications and 2 government-subsidised skill sets in a calendar year (some exceptions apply – see Eligibility Notes below);
- commencing no more than 2 government-subsidised courses at the same Australian Qualification Framework level in your lifetime (some exemptions apply – see Eligibility Exemptions and Eligibility Notes below, or check with us if you are not sure); and
- concurrently studying no more than 2 government subsidised programs (qualifications or skill sets) at any one time.
If you are enrolled at a secondary school, you will not be able to receive a government-subsidised training place for a course, unless you are undertaking the course as part of a School-Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship. The Government supports schools in other ways to offer vocational training to their students, so you should discuss all your options with our Student Recruitment staff.
Note: age is calculated as at the first day of the calendar year (1 Jan), in which students enrol to courses.
You are also required to:
- obtain a USI (Unique Student Identifier) prior to enrolment as part of your eligibility for a government subsidised place.
- show evidence of your citizenship/residency and age at enrolment. This can include one of the following (original or certified copy required, plus an additional photocopy to submit):
- a current green Medicare card
- an Australian birth certificate (not birth extract)
- a current Australian passport
- a current New Zealand passport
- an Australian Citizenship Certificate
- an Australian Certificate of Registration by Descent
- formal papers from DIBP confirming permanent residence
- a New Zealand Birth Certificate
- a New Zealand Citizenship Certificate.
If you are under 20 proof of age must also be presented, if not included in one of the above documents.
This can include:
- a current driver’s license or learner’s permit
- Proof of Age card
- Keypass card
- a current foreign passport
Under 17?
If you will still be under 17 by the commencement of your course, additional requirements and documents are required:
- If you are under 17 with year 10, you must bring correspondence from your school principal to move to Box Hill Institute
- If you are under 17 without year 10, you must bring correspondence from a Department Regional Director to move from your school to Box Hill Institute
- If you are under 17 and not currently or have never been enrolled in a Victorian school (i.e. coming from interstate, overseas or home-schooling), you must bring correspondence/approval from a Department Regional Director to move to Box Hill Institute.
A completed 'Exemption from School Form' is the common method of acceptable corrrespondence to submit to us.
You can also check what you may be eligible for using the Victorian Skills Gateway Eligibility Indicator.
Impact on Future Eligibility
Students accessing a government subsidised place in a TAFE course should be aware that the course is being subsidised by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments under the Skills First Program. Note that enrolling in a Government Subsidised place will affect future training options and eligibility for further Government Subsidised training under the Skills First Program.
General Eligibility Exclusions
- Secondary school students already enrolled with a separate government, non-government, independent or catholic secondary school, or registered for home schooling, are generally not eligible for a government subsidised place at TAFE (school based trainees and school based apprentices excepted).
- Interstate residents (unless they are able to physically attend all training and assessment in Victoria)
- Overseas residents
- Prisoners detained in a custodial setting are not eligible for a government subsidised place. The only exception is an individual on a community based order, or, an individual from the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre, where students can physically access training outside a custodial setting without supervision. Such students must present with a letter from the Department of Human Services, confirming their status in line with this rule, and then attach the letter to the student’s enrolment form.
- Students detained under the Mental Health Act 1986; or the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act 1987 or the Sentencing Act 1991 at the Thomas Embling Hospital are not eligible for a government subsidised place.
Eligibility Exemptions
Each year Box Hill Institute has a limited number of Eligibility Exemptions available for Senior Secondary and VET/TAFE level courses.
If granted, this exemption will waive the following criteria, enabling the individual access to a government subsidised place and fee rates, providing all other eligibility criteria are met:
- Upskilling clause for students aged 20+
- Two commencements at same level lifetime limit
Check with us if you are not sure.
Eligibility Notes
Upskilling – further notes
For students aged 20+ for the purpose of determining whether an individual is ‘upskilling’, the following can be excluded from the upskilling assessment, and are thus not taken into account:
- Senior secondary courses completed (VCE, VCAL, International Baccalaureate and Interstate Year 12 certificates)
- Qualifications listed in the Foundation Skills list
- Any VET certificates completed as part of a senior secondary qualification (including school-based apprenticeships/traineeships)
- Non-Australian qualifications completed overseas, except where equivalency has been formally established with a qualification within the Australian Qualifications Framework
Studying a maximum of 2 government subsidised qualifications plus 2 government subsidised skill sets in a year – further notes
The following are not taken into account when calculating the 2 qualification and 2 skill set yearly maximum:
- An individual transitioning from a superseded qualification to the current version of the qualification
- An individual recommencing training in the same qualification (either at the same or a different provider)
- An individual seeking to enrol in an apprenticeship (not traineeship) after having participated in one the pre-apprenticeship/pathway qualifications
- Students who have undertaken any program as part of the Department's 'Construction Industry Skill Sets' initiative
- Students who have participated in the 22510VIC – Course in identifying and responding to family violence risk
Commencing no more than 2 government-subsidised courses at the same Australian Qualification Framework level – further notes
The following are not taken into account when determining the number of courses already commenced at the same AQF level:
- Senior secondary courses completed (VCE, VCAL, International Baccalaureate and Interstate Year 12 certificates)
- Qualifications listed in the Foundation Skills list
- Any VET certificates completed as part of a senior secondary qualification (including school-based apprenticeships/traineeships)
- Where an individual is transitioning from a superseded qualification to the current version of the qualification
- Where an individual is recommencing training in the same qualification (either at the same or a different provider)
Please note: Information is subject to change pending notification of changes of government policy for government subsidised places. Some eligibility exclusions may apply. Please check your eligibility for a government subsidised place with our Student Recruitment Team when applying for your course.
