Have part of your training subsidised

Through the Smart and Skilled program, the NSW Government will subsidise some of the cost of your training. If you’re eligible, you only pay a portion of the training fees.

On average, this is between 10% and 45% of the course costs.

If you’re eligible for Smart and Skilled, you can get an estimate of your course fees in the Skills Compare tool.

Your choice of training provider does not affect the fee you pay for any Smart and Skilled qualification.

When do you pay fees?

You only pay one fee for the whole qualification, rather than year-by-year. This means you'll know, upfront, the total cost of your training – no matter how long it takes you to complete the course.

You might have to pay your fee up front, or your training provider may let you pay in instalments. Check with your training provider how you need to pay. Training providers must tell you about how to pay before you enrol.

What Smart and Skilled course fees cover

Your student fee covers the cost of all training and assessment.

Before you enrol, the training providers must also tell you up front about any additional charges for your training apart from the student fee.

Typical additional costs include:

• optional training equipment that you choose and can keep after completing the training
• field trips
• expenses like food and transport.

If you’re doing your first qualification since leaving school, you’re likely to pay a much lower fee. That’s because Smart and Skilled focuses on helping people in NSW get their first qualification. The fees also take into account the benefit you gain from your training, so lower-level courses are generally less expensive than higher qualifications.

Commercial fees

Some courses are not covered by Smart and Skilled, or there may not be a training provider available for the course you want. In these cases, you might still be able to do the course you want by paying commercial fees.

Commercial fees are set by training providers as fee-for-service courses are not subsidised by the NSW Government. They may vary depending on the training provider.