What is Lower Fees, Local Skills?
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.
The Lower Fees, Local Skills program allows Western Australians to study nationally recognised and accredited courses for significantly lower costs.
This program offers free courses, half-price course fees, and an annual fee cap — this means that students will only pay a certain amount of their course fee cap per calendar year, no matter how much the total course fee amount is.
All short courses include units of competency from accredited qualifications, so you’ll learn the relevant skills needed to enter the workforce in your desired industry without needing a full qualification.
This scheme has been developed by the Western Australian state government and the Department of Training and Workforce Development.
Popular Government Funded Courses
What courses does Lower Fees, Local Skills subsidise?
Lower Fees, Local Skills offers over 200 low-fee courses, including certificate II, certificate III, certificate IV, diploma level and advanced diploma level qualifications, as well as various specialised skill sets.
These courses are available in industries that play a strong role in WA’s economy, including:
• Aerospace, maritime and logistics
• Aged care and disability care
• Agriculture, animals, science and the environment
• Automotive
• Beauty and fitness
• Building and construction
• Business and finance
• Creative industries
• Commercial cookery
• Community services and support services
• Defence
• Education and education support
• Engineering and mining
• English, languages and foundation studies
• Health care and infection control
• Hospitality, tourism and events
• Information technology, cyber security, library and digital
Courses under Lower Fees, Local Skills are available from TAFE colleges, RTO’s and a selection of private training providers in Perth and wider WA.
Search for your desired course at: https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/skillsready
Am I eligible for Lower Fees, Local Skills?
There are different sets of eligibility criteria depending on whether you’re looking for free training or subsidised training. It’s a good idea to check both sets of criteria, because even if you’re not eligible for one, you might be eligible for the other.
Subsidised training
To be eligible for Lower Fees, Local Skills courses, you must have left school* and your primary place of residence is Western Australia. You also must be:
• an Australian citizen; or
• a permanent visa holder or holder of visa subclass 309, 444, 785, or 820;
• a dependent or spouse of the primary holder of a visa subclass 457; or
• a Bridging Visa E holder (subclasses 050 and 051) and you have made a valid application for a visa of subclass 785 or 790.
*In 2022, Year 12 school students who are leaving school can access a subsidised training place from 24 October 2022.
Interstate apprentices and trainees may be eligible for publicly funded training in WA.
Find out more about eligibility requirements here.
Free training
Everyone who is a permanent resident of Western Australia can access free training.
Temporary residents
If you hold one of the following types of visa’s then you are also eligible:
• holders of a sub-class 309, 444, 785, 790, or 820 visa;
• secondary holders of a temporary visa of sub-class 457; and
• holders of a Bridging Visa E (subclasses 050 and 051) where the visa holder has made a valid application for a visa of subclass 785 or 790.
Who is not eligible
• Those who live outside of Western Australia, or Australia
• International students and people on a student visa
• Students who are still at school*
*In 2022, Year 12 school students who are leaving school can access a subsidised training place from 24 October 2022.
Fee course cap
• For concession students, the course fee cap is $400 plus resource fees from the date the new fee applied*.
• For non-concession students, the course fee cap is $1,200 plus resource fees from the date the new fee applied.
*Students aged between 15-24 years of age qualify for the concession rate.
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.
