Support for migrants and refugees

Training contacts

Training
Telephone 1300 369 935
Contact Training

Apprenticeships Info
Telephone 1800 210 210
Contact Apprenticeships Info

Queensland Training Ombudsman
Telephone 1800 773 048
Contact the Training Ombudsman

Harmony in Action Skills Audit

The Harmony in Action Skills Audit survey, for culturally diverse people, aims to identify and promote the professional skills within Queensland's multicultural community.

The survey provides you with an opportunity to identify your skills, work experience and qualifications, helping the Department of Trade, Employment and Training to connect you to support programs and match you to local jobs.

Your responses are valuable and will help improve our programs and services to better support people from all backgrounds.

Complete the survey

Develop your skills

The Queensland Government invests in training to support refugees and migrants gain the skills and qualifications needed to find employment.

Subsidised training is where the Queensland Government contributes to the cost of your course, reducing the cost of study for eligible students for a wide range of vocational education and training (VET) courses offered by registered training organisations.

There are several subsidised training programs including:

Certificate 3 Guarantee – helps to subsidise the training costs to undertake your first post-school certificate III qualification.
Higher Level Skills – supports you to gain higher level skills required to secure employment or career advancement through selected certificate IV, diploma and advanced diploma qualifications in priority industries.
User Choice – supports apprentices and trainees to cover the cost of training associated with their apprenticeship or traineeship.

Visit the Queensland Skills Gateway to check if you are eligible for government subsidised training in Queensland, and view a list of registered training organisations that are approved to deliver subsidised training throughout Queensland.

For migrants and refugees, the recommended minimum qualification for entry into a certificate level VET course is to have completed the equivalent of an Australian Year 10 qualification in your home country.

If you want to study a diploma or advanced diploma course, you may need to have completed the equivalent of an Australian Year 12 qualification in your home country.

Visa eligibility

To access subsidised training you must be:

an Australian citizen
an Australian permanent resident (includes humanitarian entrant)
a temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency, or
a New Zealand citizen.

To determine if you are eligible to participate in subsidised training, check your current visa on the visa subclass eligibility list (XLSX, 41KB).

In addition, eligible apprentices and trainees may be able to access User Choice funding if:

they have entered into a training contract for a qualification that is funded by the Department of Trade, Employment and Training
they are registered in our registration system
and
their visa allows them to work in Australia.

For more information, talk to your preferred registered training organisation or phone us on 1300 369 935.

Learn English

When studying in Australia, courses require a minimum level of English language skills.

English courses are available to help you gain the language skills you need. General English courses teach the basic written and verbal communication skills needed to interact in daily life in Australia.

TAFE Queensland English Language and Literacy Services (TELLS) provides language, literacy and numeracy training to job seekers and migrants through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program. The AMEP is delivered at TAFE locations across Queensland.

If your child is studying in a Queensland Government school and English is not their first language they may be eligible for English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) language support.

Recognition of your existing qualifications

If you hold a completed post-secondary school qualification from overseas and currently live in Queensland, our Overseas Qualification Unit may be able to assist you to have your qualification assessed and recognised.

Training and support to find a job

Skilling Queenslanders for Work funds training and support for unemployed or underemployed people including people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Find out how these training projects can help you gain the skills, qualifications and experience you need to enter and stay in the workforce.

The Diverse Queensland Workforce program is also helping migrants, refugees and international students into employment, through free training, work experience, workplace readiness programs, mentoring and more.

The Back to Work program has jobseeker officers and provides support to eligible individuals who need to update their skills to gain or retain employment. Find out what Back to Work has to offer, including incentives for employers who employ culturally and linguistically diverse peoples.