Training Support & Funding Programs.
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About Smart and Skilled NSW
Smart and Skilled is government funded training that provides individuals working or living in NSW with access to subsidised training in a range of qualifications.
Learning Sphere currently holds a funding contact with the New South Wales Government under the Smart and Skilled Program and can help individuals and employers to access funding to develop skills or upskill workforces.
We work within the NSW Quality Framework to ensure that we achieve best practice in all our activities.
This includes:
- Striving for improvement through a student-centred approach to the training experience
- Expanding connection to industry so
- training is innovative and meets employer needs, and
- students have access to placements and exposure to the workplace
- Providing high level individualised support for students, particularly disadvantaged students
- Capability building of staff and systems
- Using external sources to validate assessment practices.
Applying for a USI
Anyone undertaking nationally recognised training in Australia is required to obtain a Unique Student Identifier (USI).
This number is your individual education number and records all training you successfully complete. You can access your records for the purposes of employment, credit transfer etc.
To apply for a USI, you will are required to provide valid identification documents and follow the steps required to create your account.
Please follow the link to the USI website to assist you in doing this.
You can also link your USI to your myGov account which allows you to use a single secure sign in. You will need an active USI account before you can link your USI to your myGov.
Student Eligibility
Eligibility for Smart and Skilled depends on the program you are enrolling into. Please speak with your Learning Sphere representative to discuss your eligibility into the different funded programs we deliver under Smart and Skilled Funding
To demonstrate your eligibility, you will be asked to provide specific documentation. A full list of the types of documentation that can be provided is available in Section 3 of the Smart and Skilled Eligibility Guide (link provided below).
As always, if you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly.
Consumer Protection Strategy
Learners funded through Smart and Skilled should expect that:
- They receive quality education and training
- Are fully informed about the personal information collected about them
- They have access to the Learning Sphere complaints and appeals process.
Learning Sphere has a dedicated consumer protection officer to assist with the above and we encourage you to make contact should you have any concerns.
Anne Bayley
Compliance Manager
Students can contact Smart and Skilled directly on 1300 772 104 and access further information from their website www.education.nsw.gov.au/skills-nsw.
Access to the current Smart and Skilled: Consumer Protection Policy Strategy here
Enrolment / Notification of Enrolment
Funded learners will also be provided with a Notification of Enrolment as per Smart and Skilled Funding Requirements. Learners will receive an email upon commencement confirming that the notification of enrolment has been processed.
All enrolments will be processed in line with our own enrolment process and the requirements of our Smart and Skilled Contract.
All funded students must provide a fully completed enrolment form which includes a written consent (via the enrolment form) for the Department to use their information.
If this is not provided we are unable to proceed with the enrolment via funding through Smart and Skilled.
Learning Sphere will validate prospective learners eligibility using the provider calculator which is available on the Smart and Skilled website. This will also generate fees chargeable to students and this will be provided to each individual student or their employer (if being supported financially by the employer).
Learners will also be expected to complete a LLN quiz to ascertain any individual needs.
Once the above has been completed, learners will be enrolled into their chosen qualification.
Notification of Enrolment Process
As a funded learner, we are required to advise how the Notification of Enrolment process works. You will receive an email from us upon commencement confirming that the notification of enrolment has been processed. The below is completed in conjunction with our own Enrolment Process.
- All learners must complete and sign the Consent Form provided with the enrolment form.
- Learning Sphere will then use the Department calculator to validate eligibility and use this to generate details of any fees that are chargeable for the program. We also confirm that the learner has completed the consent form. This also provides Learning Sphere with information on the applicable subsidy.
- At this point, we will generate a notification of enrolment report that we retain for reference regarding fees and subsidies (if this is amended after the Commitment ID is issued)
- If the above is completed, the learner will be issued with a unique Commitment ID number.
- We will provide the learner with a Notification of Enrolment Email and is provided before formal course commencement.
Fees and Charges
For more information about fees and charges under Smart and Skilled please refer to the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy Version 5.
In 2025/2026, Learning Sphere will be delivering the following traineeships under funding provided through the Smart and Skilled Program. For eligible participants, this training is fee free and fully subsidised by the NSW Government.
Qualification | Cost to eligible trainee | |
AHC20422 | Certificate II in Horticulture | $0 |
AHC30722 | Certificate III in Horticulture | $0 |
AHC40422 | Certificate IV in Horticulture | $0 |
BSB30120 | Certificate III in Business | $0 |
BSB40120 | Certificate IV in Business | $0 |
BSB40520 | Certificate IV in Leadership and Management | $0 |
BSB50420 | Diploma in Leadership and Management | $0 |
CPP30321 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | $0 |
CPP40421 | Certificate IV in Cleaning | $0 |
SIR30216 | Certificate III in Retail | $0 |
SIT30622 | Certificate III in Hospitality | $0 |
TLI30321 | Certificate III in Supply Chain Operations | $0 |
For more information about fees and charges: Fee Administration Policy
Glossary:
EFQ : Entitlement Full Qualifications
TPFQ – Targeted Priority Full Qualifications
EAT – Entitlement Apprenticeship Traineeship
Student Fees (from 1 July 2025)
| Qualification | First Qualification Fee | Subsequent Qualification Fee | Traineeship Fee | Concession Fee | |
| AHC20422 | Certificate II in Horticulture | $1,120 | $1,340 | n/a | $160 |
| AHC30722 | Certificate III in Horticulture | $2,190 | $2,620 | n/a | 240 |
| AHC40422 | Certificate IV in Horticulture | $2,770 | $3,240 | n/a | 240 |
| BSB30120 | Certificate III in Business | $1,320 | $1,580 | 0 | $240 |
| BSB40120 | Certificate IV in Business | $1,580 | $1,850 | 0 | $240 |
| BSB40520 | Certificate IV in Leadership and Management | $1,580 | $1,850 | 0 | $240 |
| BSB41419 | Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety | $1,580 | $1,850 | n/a | $240 |
| BSB50420 | Diploma of Leadership and Management | $2,530 | $2,850 | 0 | n/a |
| CPP30321 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | $1,320 | $1,580 | 0 | $240 |
| CPP40421 | Certificate IV in Cleaning | $1,980 | $2,310 | 0 | $240 |
| SIR30216 | Certificate III in Retail | $1,450 | $1,750 | 0 | $240 |
| SIT30622 | Certificate III in Hospitality | $1,450 | $1,750 | 0 | $240 |
| TLI30321** | Certificate III in Supply Chain Operations | $1,480 | $1,780 | 0 | $240 |
Notes:
*BSB41419 – This qualification is part of the NSW Fee Free Initiative. Subject to the availability of places, students that meet the standard Smart and Skilled Eligibility criteria are eligible for this initiative between 01 July and 31 December 2024.
**TLI30321 – Commencement limits are in place for this qualification.
This training is subsidised by the NSW Government. Subsided training is not discounted or subsidised by Learning Sphere or any other third party.
Assistance for Learners
Learning Sphere is proud to offer education to all individuals and will ensure that where required and identified, we will provide additional assistance in order to complete training.
All assistance will be based on individual need and may include the following:
- Additional targeted training
- Adjustments to assessment to embrace inclusivity. This may include oral assessment instead of written or any other identified adjustment. Noting that any adjustment made will not affect the requirements of the assessment.
- Learning Support Plans completed with the learner to track any needs, celebrate improvements. The Learning Support Plan is a living document and can change as the learner becomes comfortable with the learning environment.
- Provision of hard copy resources where online is not practicable for the learner.
- Ongoing assistance from trainer /assessor when asked and when identified.
- Support or referral to other agencies.
There will be instances where the assistance required is outside of the Learning Sphere scope. We will do our best to support these students in obtaining help as needed and where we are able, training may be suspended until the learner feels able to recommence studying.
The Learning Sphere Handbook contains a list of referral and support agencies that learners may wish to access
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