Career Boost is one of the Queensland Government’s core funded vocational education and training (VET) programs, managed by the Department of Trade, Employment and Training (DTET).vCareer Boost aims to take a person’s career to the next level, enabling them to grow and apply their skills to existing or new job roles and to support productivity growth and workplace innovation. The program delivers training to help individuals develop the higher-level skills needed to secure employment, advance their careers, or progress to further education and training to undertake university or tertiary qualifications.

Career Boost offers either a general training pathway or employment-based apprenticeship or traineeship pathway.

Under Career Boost, an eligible individual may access:

• one subsidised training place in either a certificate IV, diploma, or advanced diploma qualification under the general training pathway; OR
• a higher level apprenticeship/traineeship at certificate IV or above; and
• up to two subsidised skill sets inpriority industries or sectors as part of the program.
• An individual cannot do two general pathway qualifications under Career Boost.
• If the individual has already accessed two apprenticeships/traineeships through a school based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) or Career Start within the last 10 years, they are not eligible to undertake an apprenticeship/traineeship under Career Boost.

General Training Pathway: Qualifications and skill sets delivered through a general training pathway are available for direct enrolment and do not require the student to enter into a training (apprenticeship/traineeship) contract with an employer.

Apprenticeship/traineeship pathway: For apprenticeships and traineeships, an individual must be employed as an apprentice or trainee. This pathway is part of the Australian Apprenticeships system and requires all parties to sign an Apprenticeship and Traineeship Training Contract (the Contract) as defined by the Further Education and Training Act 2014 (the Act).

The employer of an apprentice/trainee must provide or arrange to provide adequate facilities, range of work, supervision and on-the-job training required by the Act and training plan.

The Supervising Registered Training Organisation (SRTO) is required to assess these employment arrangements, complete an Employer Resource Assessment and develop the training plan in consultation with the employer, apprentice and/or trainee to ensure compliance with the Act.

Please note an individual may complete either two apprenticeships/traineeships across the suite of core programs or two apprenticeships/traineeships under the entry level Career Start program only. However, the total number of subsidised apprenticeships/ traineeships across all programs cannot exceed two per individual within the 10-yar period.

General Training Pathway

To access a subsidised training place under Career Boost, a student must meet the following criteria:

• aged 15 years or older;
• not be a school student;
• permanently reside in Queensland;
• be an Australian citizen, or Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrant), or a temporary resident with the right visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, or a New Zealand citizen;
• not already have a certificate IV or higher qualification (including tertiary qualification) completed within the last 10 years (qualifications completed as a school student and foundation skills qualifications do not count); Note: This eligibility requirement does not apply to individuals seeking to enrol in a skill set;
• not be enrolled in another qualification, even if it is on hold or deferred, whether funded by DTET or not (foundation skills qualifications do not count).

 Apprenticeship/traineeship pathway

To be eligible to receive government subsidised training, the apprentice or trainee must:

• have entered into a Contract (training contract) for a qualification that is funded by DTET and be registered on DTET’s training database;
• if from overseas, have a visa allowing them to work in Australia; and
• not have already completed two apprenticeship/traineeship qualifications (including SATs) within the last 10 years.

Individuals undertaking training must contribute to their training costs through a co-contribution fee.

While the fee amount is determined by the SAS, it is expected the co-contribution fee will be greater for higher-level training given the increased benefits that accrue to individuals and industry.

The co-contribution fee may be paid on behalf of the student by an employer or another third party, but cannot be paid or waived by the SAS, unless approved by the department.