Victorian Training Guarantee Info.

"The Victorian Training Guarantee" is the new system in place in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and is designed to help people get the skills they need to find a job and progress further in their chosen career.

To may be eligible for a government-subsidised training place if you are:

# an Australian citizen
# an Australian Permanent Resident
   (holder of a permanent visa)
# a New Zealand citizen

and are any of the following:

# under 20 years of age
# seeking to enrol in a Foundation Skills
   List course (and do not hold a Diploma
   or above qualification or are receiving
   core skills training in other sectors)
# seeking to enrol in VCE or VCAL
# seeking to enrol in an apprenticeship
# 20 years and older and "upskilling" by
   seeking to enrol in a course at a higher
   level than your existing qualification.

If you are enrolled at a school, you will not be able to receive a government-subsidised training place for a course through the Victorian Training Guarantee, unless you are undertaking the course as part of a School-Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship.

Are you eligible? Check now and find out.    

You are eligible to commence a maximum of two subsidised courses at the same qualification level in your lifetime. This restriction applies whether or not you complete the courses. For example, this means if you have already commenced two courses at the Certificate III level, you may only commence courses at the Certificate IV level (or above).

This restriction does not apply to courses on the Foundation Skills List or to students recommencing training in the same qualification (at the same or a different provider).

Under exceptional circumstances students may apply for an exemption to the rule allowing only two commencements at the same level, enabling them to enrol in a further qualification at the same level. No exemptions are available for any other eligibility criteria.

In addition, eligible students can begin up to two subsidised courses in a year as long as you are not doing any more than two courses at a time.

What Courses are Available?

There is a wide range of subsidised courses available in most industry areas. You can search for available courses by using the Course Finder. You can search for courses in your local area, or anywhere in the state and you can also search based on what occupation you would ultimately like to get into.

Who Can I Study With?

There are a large number of training providers accredited to deliver courses under the Victorian Training Guarantee. TAFE is obviously a big one, but there are many others too. You can also search to see what training providers are available in your area.

How Much do Courses Cost?

Each course costs a different amount depending on the type of course and the level of qualification.

You will only have to pay a portion of the total course
cost (the rest is paid by the Government). You can get
an overview of fees here - but you should always check
with the training provider of the course you are
considering to get the full details on fees for that course.

How do you enrol?

Once you find a course you are interested in, the best thing to do is to contact the provider of that course and speak to them about the enrolment process. You should also ask them to tell you exactly what the course will cost you and also if there are any concessions or exemptions available to you.

You will also need to have a "Unique Student Identifier" (USI) - this is a bit like an account number made up of letters and numbers and is allocated to you. It is used to identify you when undertaking any vocational training from the start of 2015. You must have this Unique Student Identifier before you can commence any courses. If you don't already have one, you can create one at www.usi.gov.au .
The video below gives and overview of the USI, why you need it and what it is for (click to play):   

Concessions and Exemptions:

There are fee concessions and exemptions available to some students such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI), students with disabilities and students receiving welfare benefits.

There are details on these here - but you should also talk to the training provider of your proposed course to see what might be available to you.