What is the Certificate 3 Guarantee?
The Certificate 3 Guarantee program could help pay for your first certificate III level qualification.
The Certificate 3 Guarantee is a government funding scheme for vocational education and training. If you’re an eligible Queenslander, you can access financial support to help you complete your first post-school Certificate III course. If you’re a school student or Year 12 graduate, it may provide you with free training in a high-priority qualification.
The Certificate 3 Guarantee program also fully funds priority courses through the Free TAFE for Under 25s initiative.
When you enrol in a course, the government pays the subsidy directly to the training provider and reports it to the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training. You may still need to pay a co-contribution fee to cover the remainder of the cost.
Popular Government Funded Courses
What courses does the Certificate 3 Guarantee subsidise?
Certificate 3 Guarantee funding provides government subsidies for certificate III qualifications to eligible individuals. These entry-level qualifications are a great stepping stone into jobs in many industries. In some circumstances, the program also funds foundation skills training and lower-level vocational qualifications (like certificate II courses).
Subsidies are different for each course, and priority courses attract a higher subsidy. For a complete list of funded qualifications, see the Priority Skills List.
Only Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) that have been pre-approved as a Skills Assure supplier (SAS) can deliver courses through this program. The Queensland Skills Gateway publishes the full list of approved RTOs.
Am I eligible for the Certificate 3 Guarantee?
To be eligible for the Certificate 3 Guarantee, you must be a Queensland resident and one of the following:
• Australian citizen or New Zealand citizen
• Australian permanent resident (including humanitarian entrants)
• Temporary resident with an eligible visa subclass
You must also:
• Be at least 15 years of age
• Live in Queensland and have left school*
• Not already have, or be enrolled in, a certificate III level or higher qualification.
*If you’re participating in VET in Schools, you may be able to access training through the Certificate 3 Guarantee.
You may be eligible for a higher subsidy if you:
• Hold a healthcare or pension concession card
• Training in a remote region of Queensland, and Cape York and the Torres Strait
• Identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
For more information, check the support for disadvantaged learners fact sheet.
Government funding scheme by state
Skills Checkpoint is a government initiative that assists Australians over 40 in retraining and upskilling so they can advance their professions or find new jobs.
User Choice is a national government funding scheme that helps cover the cost of training and assessment services for Australian apprentices.
Skills Checkpoint is a government initiative that assists Australians over 40 in retraining and upskilling so they can advance their professions or find new jobs.
Smart and Skilled NSW is an exceptional funding program designed to assist eligible NSW students by providing subsidies for a wide range of courses. This program specifically focuses on helping you obtain your first qualification after completing school, giving you a head start in your career.
Skills Checkpoint is a government program that supports Australians over 40 to upskill or retrain so they can advance or change their careers.
Australian Apprentices can receive assistance from User Choice, a national government funding program, to cover the cost of training and assessment services.
The Certificate 3 Guarantee program could help pay for your first certificate III level qualification.
Free Apprenticeships for Under 25s is a program set up by the Queensland Government to give training to young people in high priority areas.
All under 25s in Queensland can access training for 26 priority certificate III qualifications for free, opening up new and exciting opportunities for young people in the area.
The higher level skills program aims to equip Queenslanders with the necessary abilities to find work in priority industries or to move on towards a university education.
Skills Checkpoint is a government program that supports Australians over 40 in retraining and upskilling so they can enhance their current careers or find new jobs.
User Choice is a government funding program that helps Australian Apprentices by contributing to the cost of training and assessment services.
Skilling SA is a government funding scheme run by the South Australian Government.
Skills Checkpoint assists Australians over 40 in retraining and upskilling so they can advance their careers or find new jobs.
The New Apprenticeship Scholarship Program (NASP) is a government funding scheme that helps apprentices complete their traineeships/apprenticeships.
The Rapid Response Skills Initiative (RRSI) is a program set up by the Tasmania state government that’s designed to help those out of work through no fault of their own reskill in order to find new career opportunities.
Skills Checkpoint is a government support program that helps Australians over 40 who want to retrain or upskill so they can stay employed, change careers, or find a new job.
Skills Checkpoint is a national government program that helps Australians over 40 retrain and upskill so they can stay in their current role, find a new role, or change careers.
Skills First is a Victorian government funding scheme that helps eligible individuals pay less for training and upskilling in high-priority areas.
JobTrainer provides low-cost vocational education and training courses to help Western Australians upskill or reskill in fields with rapid job development.
Lower Fees, Local Skills offers young Western Australians free and reduced-fee qualifications to help them gain job-ready skills for rapidly growing industry areas.
Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers assists Australians over 40 in retraining and upskilling so they can advance in their professions or find new jobs.
