Career Boost

Career Boost helps Queenslanders develop higher-level skills needed to secure employment, advance their careers, or progress to further education and training. Qualifications can be done through a general training pathway or an apprenticeship or traineeship pathway.

Eligibility

Through Career Boost, you can access one qualification. Your one qualification can either be:

• a certificate IV, diploma or advanced diploma qualification under the general training pathway, or
• a higher-level apprenticeship or traineeship in a certificate IV or above.

You can also access up to 2 funded skill sets.

You are not eligible to access funding for an apprenticeship or traineeship if you have already completed 2 apprenticeships or traineeships (through a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship or Career Start) within the last 10 years.

General training pathway

You can enrol directly in a general training pathway qualification even if you are not already employed in the industry (unless this is a specified eligibility requirement).

It helps people gain skills and qualifications through an approved training provider to support their career goals.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the general training pathway, you must:

• be aged 15 years or older
• not be a school student
• permanently live in Queensland
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrants), or a temporary resident with an eligible visa subclass.

You are not eligible if you:

• are a school student
• completed a certificate IV or higher (including university qualifications) within the last 10 years*
• are enrolled in another qualification funded by the Queensland Government (even if it is on hold or deferred).

*This does not apply if you:

• wish to enrol in a skill set
• completed a qualification as a school student
• paid for your training and qualification yourself, and it was not funded or discounted by the government.

There may be some extra entry requirements for certain funded qualifications and skill sets. These are set by industry and national training package guidelines.

Check your eligibility online or get in touch with a training provider.

Apprenticeship or traineeship pathway

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• not be a school student
• have entered into a training contract for a qualification that is funded by us and be registered on our systems
• if you're from overseas, have a visa allowing you to work in Australia.

You are not eligible if you:

• are enrolled in another qualification funded by the Queensland Government (even if it is on hold or deferred) Foundational skills qualifications and self-funded/fee-for-service qualifications don’t impact eligibility)
• have already completed 2 apprenticeship or traineeship qualifications funded by us (including a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship) within the last 10 years.

Answer a few questions to check your eligibility.

Getting started

1. Check if you are eligible. Or get in touch with a training provider. See point 3 on finding a Skills Assure Supplier (a government-approved training provider).

2. Find training available through Career Boost.
   • Visit the Queensland Skills Gateway course search.
   • Select ‘Career Boost’ under ‘Funded under’ on the left panel.
   • Click ‘Apply filter’.
3. Find a training provider that offers Career Boost. After step 2, click ‘View providers’ on the right to see who provides that training.

Cost of training

To find out the cost of training, visit the training provider’s website or contact them.

We will pay part of your training course costs directly to your chosen government-approved training provider (up to a set amount).

You pay the remaining training course costs (a co-contribution fee) to your training provider. They set these fees and prices will vary, so it pays to shop around. Read our training consumer tips.

Using VET Student Loans

You may be eligible to access VET Student Loans to cover all or part of your contribution when accessing approved diploma or advanced diploma qualifications as well as a small number of Certificate IV qualifications. To access a VET Student Loan, check that your training provider (see step 3) is listed as a VET Student Loans approved course provider.

Contact

For training information, phone 1300 369 935 or email training@dtet.qld.gov.au.

For apprenticeships and traineeships information, phone 1800 210 210 or email apprenticeshipsinfo@qld.gov.au.

Related information

• Find out about other free and reduced-cost training.
• Learn about apprenticeships and traineeships.