Funding for Queensland

Health Industry Training is proud to be a Skills Assured supplier for the Queensland Government, under the Career Start Initiative. Career Start equips individuals with the skills and support they need to confidently begin their career journey.

The program offers training that not only helps people enter the workforce but also supports those already employed to progress into higher-skilled roles or secure full-time positions, including after completing an apprenticeship or traineeship.

Through Career Start, students, apprentices, and trainees can access entry-level training that is closely aligned with the skills and knowledge demanded by industry.  Participants can choose between two pathways: a general training pathway or an employment-based apprenticeship or traineeship pathway, providing flexibility to suit individual career goals.

Under Career Start, you may access up to 2 funded training places through one of the following options:

• a qualification in a certificate III under the general training pathway and an apprenticeship or traineeship. If the apprenticeship or traineeship is completed first, you are not eligible to access a general training pathway qualification under Career Start, or
• two apprenticeships and traineeships in either a certificate II or III (school-based apprenticeships and traineeships are included in this total).

Qualifications offered by Health Industry Training under the Career Start Program

General Training Pathway

The following qualifications are available under the Career Start General Training Pathway

Who is eligible for Career Start funding?

Eligible Students must meet the following criteria:

• Be aged 15 years or older, and no longer in school
• Must be a permanent Queensland resident;
• Must be an Australian citizen, or Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrant), or temporary resident with the right visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, or a New Zealand citizen;
• Must not currently be enrolled in a level III or higher qualification;
• Must not have previously completed a certificate III or higher-level qualification within the last 10 years for a general training pathway; and
• Must not exceed a maximum of two government-funded apprenticeships/traineeships within a 10-year period.

Career Start – Traineeships Pathway

The Career Start traineeship pathway, funded through the Queensland Government’s Department of Trade, Employment and Training (DTET), provides eligible Queenslanders with an opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications while earning and learning in the workplace. The program supports entry into priority and emerging industries through subsidised apprenticeship and traineeship training, helping participants develop practical skills, industry experience, and improved employment outcomes. Career Start is designed to create accessible pathways into skilled careers, supporting both job seekers and existing workers looking to advance into more specialised or full-time roles.

The following qualifications are available for eligible students:

• HLT30121 Certificate III in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care
• HLT33021 Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance
• HLT37325 Certificate III in Pathology
• HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (Operating Theatre Assistant)
• HLT33115 Certificate III in Health Services Assistance (Assistant in Nursing)
• HLT37121 Certificate III in Hospital or Health Services Pharmacy Support

Eligibility Criteria for Career Start Traineeships

To receive funding under a Career Start Traineeship Pathway, trainees must meet the following criteria:

• Be employed under a formal training contract for a government-subsidisedqualification, with the contract registered on the official state training system.
• Hold a valid visa that permits work in Australia (for non-Australian residents).
• Not currently be studying another qualification.
• Have not completed more than two government-funded apprenticeships or traineeships (including any school-based programs) in the past ten years.

Student fees for the Career Start – Traineeships Pathway are indicative only and will change based on the elective units each student selects on enrolment. Fees will range between:

Payment of Fees

Where Health Industry Training must collect a student contribution fee, it may be paid on behalf of the trainee by their employer or a third party unrelated to Health Industry Training, but the fees cannot be paid or waived by Health Industry Training, either directly or indirectly, unless approved in writing by the department.

School-based Traineeships Fees

School-based traineeships are fully funded and no fees apply.  If a school-based trainee is converted from a school-based trainee to a full-time or part-time traineeship, student contribution fees must be charged for training and assessment for any units of competency not yet commenced. The fees will be calculated at $1.60 per nominal hour.

Eligibility – School-Based Traineeships

Eligible Students will be able to be funded for a maximum of one (1) School-based apprenticeship or traineeship and must meet the following criteria:

• Must be enrolled in Year 10, 11, or 12 in a Queensland School, unless undertaking an electrotechnology school-based apprenticeship, in which case the student must be in Year 11 or 12.
• Must not be concurrently enrolled in any other Qualifications funded by the Department.
• Must have entered into a training contract (training contract) for a Qualification that is funded by the Department and be registered on the Department’s training database.
• Students can receive Funding for only one apprenticeship or traineeship at a time. If two training contracts are registered at the same time, the contract with the earliest start date will qualify for funding, provided all other eligibility requirements are met.

Health Industry Training can offer funded training to residents located in the following area of Queensland

Brisbane
Cairns
Central Queensland
Darling Downs – Maranoa
Gold Coast
Ipswich
Logan – Beaudesert
Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday
Moreton Bay – North
Moreton Bay – South
Queensland – Outback
Sunshine Coast
Toowoomba
Townsville
Wide Bay

General Training Pathway – Career Boost

The Career Boost program offers eligible individuals one subsidised training place in a Certificate IV, Diploma, or Advanced Diploma qualification, either through a general training pathway or a higher-level traineeship at Certificate IV or above.  This initiative is designed to support career growth and lifelong learning. It provides training that helps participants build advanced, job-ready skills to secure meaningful employment, progress in their chosen career, or continue on to university or other higher-education opportunities.

Qualifications offered by Health Industry Training under the Career Boost Program:

Funding Eligibility

Eligible Students will be able to be funded for a maximum of one (1) School-based apprenticeship or traineeship and must meet the following criteria:

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 qualifications) completed within the last 10 years* (qualifications completed as a school student, and foundation skills qualifications don’t count)
• not be enrolled in another qualification, even if a student holds or deferred, whether funded by the Department of Trade, Employment and Training or not (foundation skills qualifications do not count).

Need more information? Please call our friendly staff on 07 2111 7956