JobTrainer is an initiative of the federal government, supported by the individual state governments. In a separate initiative, the federal government will invest $1.5 billion as wage subsidies for apprentices employed on or before 1 July 2020.

JobTrainer is an employment support initiative, that offers free and low-cost courses, both short and long, to those left unemployed by the economic downturn, and also provides wage subsidies for apprentices. It is projected to create up to 340,700 new positions to support school leavers and job seekers, helping them gain the skills they need to get a job.

Costs will vary from course to course. However, courses supported by JobTrainer will either be fee-free* or considerably lower than normal costs. To learn the cost of a specific JobTrainer supported course, please contact TAFE NSW.

Check your eligibility.

If you are unsure about a specific requirement, please contact TAFE NSW, and we can help clarify and questions you might have.

If you are aged over 35 years, you could be eligible for the Mature Age Workers.

Find out more

You can register your interest in a JobTrainer course here.

The skill set training courses included are associated with the areas the National Skills Commission has identified as likely to experience job growth, i.e. health care and social assistance, transport, warehousing, manufacturing, retail, and wholesale trade.

Many of the courses on offer include short courses, known as skill sets, which make up part of a variety of full qualifications. By successfully completing skill sets and continuing study into other courses, you could receive credit for those subjects, and not have to complete the full course load.

The JobTrainer courses will be available from 16 September 2020. When you register, you will be updated on the commencement details for your specific courses.

Register your interest here - you'll be the first to know.

Online study offers you the same qualification and training outcomes, with the added convenience of studying and attending lectures and classes, when it suits you best. You will still be able to watch lectures and participate in tutorials, as well as submit assignments, and sit assessments just like an on-campus student. You will still also have access to top class student support services, plus be involved in group discussions with classmates and teachers, through virtual classrooms and discussion boards.

Depending on which course you enrol in, it may be free, or it will be at a reduced cost. JobTrainer will also provide wage subsidies for apprentices. JobTrainer offers free courses courtesy of the Australian government, as well as the state government. This means you can study a short or long course for free – or at a heavily subsidised rate.

Primarily, JobTrainer seeks to help unemployed people to re-train, or for young people to start their career. However, it will also support people who are expecting to become unemployed.

This can cover instances such as companies in declining industries, people whose employment is conditional on immediately undertaking work-relevant training, and workers who have been stood down or furloughed.

While TAFE NSW will not set limits on the number of people trained under this category, it will monitor activity to ensure that school leavers and unemployed people remain a priority.

They are defined as an employee that has been stood down, or an employee whose employer has a JobKeeper arrangement in place and is at risk of becoming unemployed, and who requires upskilling or reskilling for a new role and employment elsewhere.

They are defined as someone who has been employed for less than six months and have been employed on the condition that they receive training to build their capacity and capability for their job role. This training would occur within the first six months of their employment.

They are defined as an existing employee, with or without relevant skills or previous qualifications (up to and including Certificate III), who requires training to upskill for the purposes of securing ongoing employment or future employment.