Career Start

From 1 July 2025, Career Start will give job seekers access to free and reduced cost training that industries need and leads to jobs, provide more support to achieve positive student outcomes and deliver training where it is needed across Queensland.

Career Start will provide eligible Queenslanders with:

• access to free certificate III qualifications in priority and emerging industries
• access to free and low-fee apprenticeship and traineeship training in priority and emerging industries
• expanded access to foundation skills such as language, literacy, numeracy and employability skills
• increased access to training in regional and remote areas.

Training under Career Start will be delivered by a network of training providers contacted by the Queensland Government.

These providers are called Skills Assure Suppliers (SAS) and are required to deliver high-quality, industry standard training that best meets student needs and supports employment opportunities.

Details of training providers will be available from 1 July 2025.

Career Start will replace existing funding available through the Certificate 3 Guarantee and User Choice programs.

What Career Start means

For students

Any students currently accessing free or reduced cost training through a Skills Assure Supplier (government funded training provider) will not be impacted and will continue to be supported to complete their training.

New students enrolling in courses from 1 July 2025 will be able to talk to a Skills Assure Supplier for details on funded training and access to support.

For industry and employers

Through Career Start, we will actively target our investment in training, with evidence and data informing what qualifications will be delivered by what providers and where.

Key considerations include current and projected skills needs, supply and demand, provider performance and job outcomes, and regional coverage.

To stay connected as we continue to implement Career Start, subscribe to Queensland Jobs and Skills Connect.

For registered training organisations

The expression of interest process to contract registered training organisations (RTOs) to deliver funded training under the Career Start program closed on 8 November 2024.

Details of RTOs to be contracted under our Skills Assure Supplier framework will be available from 1 July 2025.