What is skills first funding?
Skills First is a Victorian government funding scheme that helps eligible individuals pay less for training and upskilling in high-priority areas.
The Department of Education and Training (part of the Victorian Government) created the Skills First program specifically to help young people (under 20), people doing apprenticeships, and people looking to study Foundation Skills courses (Certificate I and II).
But any eligible Victorian can benefit from Skills First funding. If you’re over 20 years of age, you may be able to get funding for training at a higher level than what you’ve studied before.
If you’re eligible, the government will pay the subsidy for your student tuition fees to your training provider on enrolment.
Popular Government Funded Courses
What’s on the Skills First funded course list?
Skills First funding covers courses in priority areas, where there’s strong demand and high chances of getting a job afterwards.
Qualifications cover a broad range of areas — from screenwriting to community services to plastering — and all levels of vocational training, including:
- Foundation skills (Certificate I and II)
- Certificate III
- Certificate IV
- Diploma
- Advanced diploma
- Apprenticeships and traineeships
You can also get funding to study a ’skill set’, an accredited short course created to help fill skill shortages in the workplace. Approved Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and TAFE institutes can both provide funded courses.
Check with the provider first for availability and to confirm your eligibility. You can browse courses with Skills First places available on this page, or view the full subsidised training list on the Victorian Government website.


Am I eligible for government funding?
To get Skills First funding, you must meet the eligibility requirements. The Skills First eligibility criteria states you must be one of the following:
– Australian citizen
– Australian permanent resident
– New Zealand citizen
If you are an asylum seeker, you may be able to get funding under the Asylum Seeker VET Program.
If you’re under 20 years of age, you can get funding to study a qualification at any level.
If you‘re over 20, you can only get funding for a higher qualification than any you’ve done in the past. So, if you’ve got a cert III, you can study a cert IV or higher level. But if you’ve studied for a diploma, you can’t get funding to study a cert IV.
You can do a skill set, or accredited short course, at any level — no matter what your age or prior study.
There are exemptions to these criteria which might mean you can still get Skills First funding. For example, concession card holders and jobseekers might be eligible through JobTrainer.
To find out if you can study through Skills First, enquire about a course. When you speak to the training provider, they will check your eligibility and see if they have training places available.
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.