FUNDING

Skills First Program – Upskilling
Victoria

Skills First Program is a Victorian Government scheme that helps people access vocational education and training. Through Skills First, quality training providers can successfully compete to meet the needs of students, industry and the economy. 

Skills First ensures quality providers can successfully compete to meet the needs of students, industry and the economy.

Skills First is made up of:

  • High-quality training that students and industry can trust, aligned to industry and workforce needs
  • A real voice for industry in training
  • Funding for high needs learners who need additional support to engage with and succeed in education and training
  • Access to targeted, relevant training for students in regional areas

More information:

Eligibility Criteria

Citizenship/residency

To be eligible for Skills First training, you must be:

  • An Australian citizen
  • A holder of a permanent visa, or
  • A New Zealand citizen

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

If you are an asylum seeker, you may be eligible under the Asylum seeker VET program.

The ‘2 Skill Sets in a year’ and ‘2 AQF qualifications in a year’ limits 

1.3 In a calendar year, a student may only commence a                    maximum of two:

              a) Skills First subsidised Skill Sets; and
              b) Skills First subsidised programs that are                                         AQF qualifications.

1.4 The following scenarios are not counted when                              determining if a student meets these limits:

              a) transitioning from a superseded program                                       to the current version of the same program;
              b) recommencing training in the same                                                 program (at either the same or a different                                     provider);
              c) 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;
              d) participation in ‘22510VIC – Course in Identifying                         and Responding to Family Violence Risk’; or
              e) participation in Literacy and Numeracy                                           Support Units.

The ‘2 at a time’ limit

1.5 A student may only commence a maximum of two Skills         First subsidised programs at any one time.

1.6 Participation in the following is not counted when                     determining if a student meets this limit:

           a) ‘22510VIC – Course in Identifying and Responding to                  Family Violence Risk’; or

               b) Literacy and Numeracy Support Units.

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