What is the Career Start?

The Career Start supports eligible individuals to complete their first post-school Certificate III level qualification and increase their skills to move into employment, re-enter the workforce or advance their career.

What qualifications are subsidised?

Under the Career Start, the Queensland Government provides a subsidy for a range of certificate III level vocational qualifications. Foundation skills training and lower-level vocational qualifications may also be subsidised in certain circumstances.

Are you eligible to participate?

You must:

• be a Queensland resident
• be aged 15 years or over, and no longer at school (with the exception of VET in Schools students)
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident (including humanitarian entrants), or a temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency
• not hold, or be enrolled in, a Certificate III level or higher qualification (not including qualifications completed at school and foundations skills training).

Additional opportunities may be available in exceptional circumstances where an individual does not meet the eligibility criteria for the program but circumstances indicate the objectives of the program will be met through a confirmed employment benefit. Additional opportunities will be considered on a case-by-case basis, upon request by a prospective student. To learn more, prospective students can contact the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training on 1300 369 935.

How can you participate?

It is important that you choose the right course for you to take full advantage of the program. For information on choosing a training provider, read the training consumer tips here. The Queensland Skills Gateway displays the courses available under the Career Start and provides information about what they cover, the careers they can lead to, and the training providers approved to deliver them – see here. As a condition of your enrolment, you will be required to complete a student training and employment survey within three months of finishing or discontinuing your training.

What level of subsidy is available?

The subsidy represents the level of government contribution for a qualification, and varies between qualifications based on a number of factors.  The investment priority or importance of the training influences the size of the government subsidy. Training in vocational areas that align with important economic and industry skills needs will receive a higher government subsidy. A higher subsidy will also be paid to support participation by disadvantaged learners (concessional students). More information on concessional student status is detailed in the Career Start program

policy at here.

Do you need to contribute to the cost of training?

Given the benefits that training provides to individuals, students undertaking Certificate III level training and non-concessional students undertaking lower-level vocational training are required to contribute to the costs of their training through a co-contribution fee. The amount of your out-of-pocket expense will vary depending on the course you undertake and the training provider you choose. The fee may be paid on your behalf by an employer or another third party, but cannot be paid or waived by the training provider, or any organisation related to the training provider, unless approved by the department. The Queensland Government covers the full cost of training through the Career Start for high priority qualifications.