Government Funding

Types of Government
Funded Programs
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The Australian College of Professionals (ACOP) can offer government-funded courses through three (3) types of funding:

  1. Smart and Skilled Funding
    • Smart and Skilled Traineeships Program
    • Smart and Skilled Part Qualifications
    • Smart and Skilled Targeted Priorities Full Qualifications (currently funding for this program type has been exhausted for this financial year)
  2. Centrelink Funding
  3. Verto Checkpoint Training

Smart and Skilled
Smart and Skilled is a reform of the NSW Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. It’s helping people in NSW get the skills they need to find a job and advance their careers. This training is subsidised by the NSW Government. Further information can be found on the Smart & Skilled Website or by ringing 1300 772 104.

Notification & Eligibility Process
A prospective student of the Smart and Skilled program should meet the following criteria, which are:

  • 15 years old or over?
  • no longer at school?
  • living or working in NSW?
  • an Australian citizen, permanent resident, permanent humanitarian visa holder or New Zealand citizen?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to all four questions, then you are eligible to enquire for government-subsidised courses with ACOP.

Government Funded

Unique Student Identifier (USI)
If you are a student studying nationally-recognised training at a Registered Training Organisation like the Australian College of Professionals (ACOP) you are required to have a Unique Student Identifier from 1st January 2015. The USI will give you ongoing access to your records and results, so they are always available if you choose to enrol in further training or need to show a future employer. Please see our USI information page.

If you do not qualify for Smart and Skilled, you can still train with the Australian College of Professionals. Contact us for information by phoning the Australian College of Professionals on 1300 88 48 10

Types of Government Funded Programs

Smart and Skilled Traineeship Program

If eligible, the Smart & Skilled Traineeship enrolment fee for the whole qualification is ZERO dollars.

Traineeships generally last one or two years depending on the qualification and provide training in vocational areas. ACOP offers traineeships across a diverse range of careers in Property, Business and Finance.

ACOP can offer the following qualifications through the Smart and Skilled Traineeship Program;

By commencing a traineeship, you will gain:

  • a Government accredited qualification which is recognised nationally
  • the flexibility to study when it suits you and your employer
  • the opportunity to apply new skills and knowledge in the workplace right away
  • recognised and transferable skills
  • access to our tutor hotline for ongoing guidance and support

For Employees:
Traineeships are a great way to get a head start in your chosen career or to promote yourself in the job market. You can also retrain for the career you have always wanted. They combine time at work with training and can be full-time or part-time.

Our traineeship programs give you nationally recognised qualifications and the experience you need for your chosen career. Our government-funded training programs are available to anyone of working age with or without a secondary school certificate. You can be a school-leaver, re-entering the workforce or an adult worker simply wishing to change careers.

For Employers:
The Commonwealth Government offers a number of financial incentives to encourage employers to offer skilled based training to their employees. These incentives include:

Commencement Incentive (when an employee commences a full-time traineeship) $1,500
Completion Incentive (when an employee completes their full-time traineeship) $2,500
Total Employer Incentives Available $4,000

Please note that the above employer incentives will differ for a part-time traineeship. The student must meet an eligibility criteria.

Additional Benefits
By offering skills-based training to your employees, you will gain staff who:

  • are committed to your industry
  • have improved job knowledge and skills through our off-the-job training programs
  • have increased productivity and quality of work with minimal day-to-day interruption
  • contribute to the bottom line with practical skills and knowledge acquired through their training

You will also gain an effective and efficient way of training & retaining staff to meet your business needs.For further information on employer benefits, please download the Guide to NSW Traineeships

Click HERE to register your interest for the Smart & Skilled Traineeship Program

Under the NSW Government Fee Free Traineeship Initiative, NSW trainees that commence their training on or after 1 January 2020 are eligible for fee-free training. The NSW Government will pay your enrolment fee directly to ACOP.

This training is subsidised by the NSW Government.

Smart and Skilled Part Qualifications

Smart and Skilled Part Qualifications are a short training program consisting of Units of Competency selected from Training Package qualifications.  This is not a full qualification.

For example, as a student, you may undertake the Certificate of Registration (Real Estate/Stock & Station) module (5 Units of Competency) under the Smart and Skilled Part Qualification Program. Once you have successfully completed the Part Qualification you will be able to make an application for further Units of Competency through further part qualification funding.

Click HERE to register your interest for the Smart & Skilled Part Qualifications Program

This training is subsidised by the NSW Government.

Smart and Skilled Targeted Priorities Full Qualifications (funding currently all exhausted for this financial year)

The Smart & Skilled Targeted training is either for people who have experience in the industry, or who are not eligible for a traineeship.

ACOP is approved to conduct training several targeted qualifications throughout New South Wales. Students may be eligible to access government funding for the following qualifications:

Click HERE to register your interest for the Smart & Skilled Targeted Priorities Full Qualifications Program

This training is subsidised by the NSW Government.

Skilling for Recovery

The Skilling for Recovery program is supporting vocational training and skills development across NSW.

The priority is to support the State’s economic recovery by providing the skills businesses need to sustain our economic development. The goal is to prepare for the jobs of the future through a resilient and stronger workforce.

The program offers fee free and low fee training options to boost skills with full and part qualification course options, as well as personalised support to assist people navigating the skills and training opportunities available in NSW.

Training is available for new staff who meet the eligibility criteria and existing staff who are at risk of unemployment and require retraining in order to secure ongoing employment.

If an employer is interested in recruiting new people for their workforce or wanting to upskill their existing workforce they may be eligible for fee-free training through Skilling for Recovery.

People undertaking training must meet the Smart and Skilled eligibility criteria and fit into at least one of the categories below:

  • a young person aged 17-24 at the commencement of training, regardless of employment status, including Year 12 school leavers
  • Commonwealth Government welfare benefit recipients
  • an unemployed person
  • an employed person who is expected to become unemployed (e.g. companies in declining industries, people whose employment is conditional on immediately undertaking work relevant training, workers who have been stood down or furloughed).

Eligible participants will also need to be:

  • living in NSW or working in NSW
  • be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent resident or humanitarian visa holder
  • no longer at school.

NOTE: Not all qualifications are eligible under the Skilling for Recovery Program

Fee-Free Scholarship

As a new initiative that is acknowledging that undertaking training can help rebuild someone’s life and get them back into the workplace, the NSW government has extended the categories for Fee-Free Scholarships. People who are experiencing or have experienced domestic or family violence and/or their dependent(s) may be eligible for free training that is funded by the NSW government under the Smart and Skilled initiative. If you believe that you are eligible under this criteria, please indicate this on your Eligibility Survey. If you are eligible under all other criteria, we will require a letter of recommendation from a domestic and family violence service, refuge or other support agency, to confirm your eligibility.

You can discuss this in confidence with our Co-ordinator, Qualifications by contacting the College either via email enquiries@acop.edu.au or phone us on 1300 88 48 10.

Centrelink Funding

The Australian College of Professionals is a Centrelink Approved provider of the following training courses:

Business

Property

Finance

 

This is great news for individuals who will be eligible to receive funding for training through the Australian Government. Individuals are encouraged to contact their Job Services Provider (JSP) directly to assess their eligibility in receiving government training funding. Funding options that are currently available include:

  • Training and Learning Bonus
  • Education Entry Supplement
  • Training Supplement Fortnightly Payment

The College provides Centrelink-approved courses that job-seekers looking to enter the workforce may complete as part of their Employment Pathway Plan (EPP). Your Job Services Provider will determine whether you are eligible for funding to complete any of the above courses.

To check your eligibility

  • Download the course brochure for the course you wish to complete
  • Take the course brochure to your Job Services Provider (JSP)
  • Please quote the College’s Approved Provider Number: 2R001

To Enrol

  • Select the course date and venue you would like to attend
  • You or your JSP will need to complete an online Enrolment Form (a tax invoice will be emailed on receipt of the Enrolment Form)
  • Your JSP will need to provide a Purchase Order or full payment prior to the commencement of any training
  • Once payment has been received, you and your JSP will receive confirmation of your enrolment via email.

IMPORTANT: You will need to contact your Job Services Provider to check your eligibility for funding. The Australian College of Professionals are unable to assess your eligibility.

Verto Skills Checkpoint Training

Verto’s skills checkpoint can help students access up to $2,200 to fund suitable education and training options

To participate you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 45 to 70 years old, who is either:

  • employed and at risk of entering the income support system (e.g. those in industries undergoing structural adjustment); or
  • unemployed for no more than three consecutive months and not registered for assistance through an employment services program, such as jobactive.

The Skills Checkpoint Program is an initiative of the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. Skills Checkpoint is available through VERTO in NSW, VIC and the ACT.

To see if you are eligible to access this funding, you will need to contact Verto directly. The College is unable to assess your eligibility for this type of funding. The College is simply the Registered Training Organisation (RTO), who will deliver the training. This funding cannot be used in conjunction with any other type of government-funded programs. Please contact Verto directly to confirm your eligibility https://www.verto.org.au/what-we-do/skills-checkpoint

If you wish to discuss your government-subsidised training options in more detail, and compare the various programs available, please contact our College.

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