The ACT Government's Skilled Capital training initiative is aimed at improving access to high quality training in skills shortage areas.

The program will give eligible participants the opportunity to complete a nationally recognised qualification and receive a $500 successful completion payment for Certificate III and above and $250 for Certificate II upon successful completion of their studies.

To be eligible for Skilled Capital, you need to be:

    # an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or New
       Zealand passport holder resident for more than
       six (6) months, or a visa holder with work rights
       to engage in work in Australia

    # living or working in the ACT

    # at least 15 years of age

...and you must NOT:

    # be enrolled in or attending secondary school or
       college

    # be enrolled in courses currently funded by Skilled
       Capital


Certificate II courses under Skilled Capital have additional eligibility requirements including:

At the time of enrolment you must not have:    

- completed a Certificate III or higher.
- been awarded an ACT Year 12 Certificate (or equivalent).
- achieved a C grade average or higher in year 12.
- completed the training qualification (or its replacement) within the last 7 years

And you must have:

- circumstances which impact my ability to undertake training and/or work such as ill health or similar.
 

What Courses are Available?

The courses that are available under the Skilled Capital program are based on the "ACT Skills Needs List". The link below takes you to this list - but you should check with the training provider to ensure that the course you are considering comes under Skilled Capital

Who Can I Study With?

There are a large number of training providers accredited to deliver courses under Skilled Capital. CIT is obviously a big one, but there are many others too. The link below gives you the list of approved training providers.

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 need to contact the course provider to
find out exactly what the course they are delivering, but if you wish to study with CIT, you can get approximate course costings here.

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.

You should also talk to the training provider of your proposed course to see what might be available to you.