Smart & Skilled Info.

"Smart and Skilled" 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.

It provides eligible students with:

# an entitlement to government subsidised training up to and including Certificate III level
# government funding for higher level courses (Certificate IV and above) in targeted priority areas

To be eligible for Smart and Skilled funding, you need to:

    # be aged 15 years or older

    # have left school

    # live or work in NSW

    # be an Australian citizen, permanent
       resident,  humanitarian visa holder
       or New Zealand citizen

Are you eligible? Check now and find out.    

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 Smart and Skilled Course Finder. You can search for courses in your local area, or anywhere in the state and you can also search based on the qualification level, the length of course and more - just enter or tick these details in the course finder.

Who Can I Study With?

There are a large number of training providers (over 300) accredited to deliver courses under Smart and Skilled. 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, however, under Smart and Skilled the amount you will pay for each course will be the same at every training provider - ie: every provider must charge the same amount for a certain course as every other provider delivering that same course.

You will only have to pay a portion of the total course cost (the rest is paid by the Government). To get an estimate of what you would have to pay for courses you are interested in, use the "Find a Course" button above and then use the "Estimate your fee" button on the course page. (Note: This only gives you an estimation - you need to talk to the actual course provider to get an exact amount).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions:

You can find answers to the most commonly asked questions here.

You can also get the full overview at www.smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au