Government Funded Courses in WA : Jobs &#038; Skills WA

Students will work with a range of companion and farm animals to learn important low stress handling skills as well as the foundations of animal care.

On-Campus

ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care (VETDSS)

Join us on-site for a 1 semester course designed for High School Students. Includes classroom and hands-on practical training at Landsdale Farm in Darch, WA.

About Our Schools Program

VETDSS for High School Students

This course is ideal for those that prefer a pre-organised work placement with the comfort of learning amongst like-minded students and under the supervision of qualified trainers and assessors.

On-Campus

ACM30122 Certificate III in Animal Care Services (RSPCA)

A 6 month course providing you with hands-on practical training at the RPSCA WA and AVT under the supervision of AVT Trainers, plus online learning from the comfort of your home.

About the RSPCA Program

Intensive Learning

The role of a veterinary nurse is diverse, exciting, rewarding and one in which you will never stop learning. This certificate will introduce you to a range of skills and knowledge across several species of animals.

On-Campus & Blended

ACM40418 Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing

This qualification is aimed at those who want a career as a veterinary nurse or those already working in veterinary care positions.

Study Vet Nursing

Veterinary Nursing

Government funded programs offered by AVT

Participation–Work Readiness

This program aims to assist unemployed people who are job ready, seeking the relevant skills and experiences to access meaningful work so they can participate fully in the workforce.

The program has a targeted approach to recruiting students from the eligible target groups via referrals from an approved referral agent or via a self-referral based on a number of criteria.

Referral agents are organisations that offer support services to individuals including the Disability Services Commission, selected Job Active providers, Jobs and Skills Centres, and community-based organisations.

Priority Industry Training

Priority Industry Training, a component of Jobs and Skills WA, offers subsidised training opportunities and qualifications to eligible students. This program aims to enhance the skills of students, preparing them to take up jobs in skilled occupations that are in high demand across Western Australia.

Lower fees, local skills

Lower fees, local skills qualifications provide an annual fee cap on a list of courses. This means regardless of how much the course fees are, you will not pay more than a set total amount per selected qualification or course per calendar year. The annual fees cap is set at $400 for eligible concession students, and $1,200 for non-concession students, plus resource fees*.

The Lower fees, local skills courses are available to residents of Western Australia that meet the eligibility criteria. See more detailed information, see Skills Ready or visit the relevant qualifications pages on this site.

School Based Traineeships

A school-based traineeship (SBT) provides the opportunity for students to work with an employer and train in a qualification while still at school. Students studying ACM20121 Certificate II in Animal Care as a school-based traineeship may be exempt from course fees under the Jobs and Skills WA program.

Am I eligible for a subsidised course?

If your primary place of residence is in Western Australia and you meet the individual requirements of the funded programs, you may be eligible. Further details are outlined on our individual course fees and funding pages.

Jobs and Skills WA subsidised training

Jobs and Skills WA programs are used to prioritise the WA State Government training funding to focus on courses that equip people to take up jobs that are or will be, in high demand.

AVT’s Program Manager, Sue Bain commented, “The Jobs and Skills WA Program has made our subsidised courses accessible to so many WA based students over this time and has provided our industry with high-quality graduates who are in demand”.

Frequently Asked Questions

Funding

What’s the difference between concession fees and government funded fees?

Understanding your fees at AVT can seem tricky at first — especially when you hear terms like full fee, funded non-concession, and funded concession. Let’s break it down for you:

What are Government Funded Fees?

Government funding helps reduce the cost of your course through programs like Jobs and Skills WA (if you’re eligible).

If you meet the funding eligibility criteria, your course fee will be ‘subsidised‘ or ‘funded’ — meaning the government pays part of the course cost on your behalf.

There are two types of government subsidised fees:

Funded Non-Concession Fee – a reduced fee if you are eligible for funding but do not have concession status.
Funded Concession Fee – an even lower fee for those eligible for funding and who meet concession requirements.

What is a Concession Fee?

For the purposes of understanding AVT fees, a concession fee is a further discount on the government funded fee.

To access the additional concession fee, you must hold a valid concession card or be in receipt of services from a Commonwealth support or employment services program at the time of enrolment. A valid concession card is current (not expired) and issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Accepted concession cards include persons and dependants of persons holding a:

Pensioner Concession Card
Repatriation Health Benefits Card issued by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; or
Health Care Card

Commonwealth support and employment service programs accepted include:

Persons in receipt of services from Workforce Australia; or ParentsNext
Secondary school-aged persons who are not enrolled at school.
Persons and dependants of persons who are inmates of a custodial institution.
Persons and dependants of persons in receipt of AUSTUDY, ABSTUDY or Youth Allowance

Note: this list is current at the time of publishing and may change from time to time.

Full Fee vs Funded Non-Concession vs Funded Concession — what’s the difference?

Category	What it means
Full Fee	You are not eligible for any government funding and must pay the full course cost. Even if you have a concession card, if you are not eligible for funding, you still pay the full course fee
Funded Non-Concession	You are eligible for government funding but do not have a valid concession card. You pay a reduced fee.
Funded Concession	You are eligible for government funding and hold a valid concession card, so you pay the lowest available fee.

Quick Example

Emma is not eligible for funding but has a valid concession card → She pays the full fee.
Laura is eligible for funding and has a concession card → She pays the funded concession fee.
Liam is eligible for funding but doesn’t have a concession card → He pays the funded non-concession fee.
Sophia isn’t eligible for funding → She pays the full fee.

Why does this matter?

Understanding whether you qualify for a concession fee or just the standard government funding can make a difference to your course costs. It’s important to check your eligibility before enrolling!

For more information on which courses are eligible for government funding visit our Government Funded Course Page

Are government funding and concession fees available for online courses?

Unfortunately, government funding and concessions are not available for AVT’s online courses.

Concession fees and government-funded places are only available to eligible students enrolling in selected on-campus courses under the Jobs & Skills WA funding initiative.

For more information and links to eligible courses, visit our Government Funding page.

Are our courses covered under the Queensland Government Certificate III Guarantee funding programme?

The Certificate 3 Guarantee is a Queensland Government initiative designed to support eligible students in completing their first post-school Certificate III qualification.

The program also assists school students to access training and Queensland’s Year 12 graduates to transition to employment by providing free training in high priority qualifications.

Unfortunately, AVT is currently unable to assist students under the Queensland Government Certificate III Guarantee Funding Programme. For Queensland based students, we can only accept general applications from full-fee paying students who wish to study online with us.

Find out more about our online course option for Certificate III in Animal Studies here

You may be able to find a local Queensland provider and further information by visiting http://www.skillsgateway.training.qld.gov.au

Is government assistance available for our courses?

WA-based students may be eligible for a government-subsidised place under the Jobs and Skills WA initiative. You can find out more information by visiting our Government Funding Page

You may also be able to apply for financial or government assistance such as Austudy. You can find out more information by approaching The Department of Human Services (Centrelink).

Does AVT offer HECS-HELP or VET Student Loans?

AVT courses are not eligible for Government HECS-HELP or VET Student Loans (formerly VET FEE-HELP).

HECS-HELP is a scheme that assists eligible Commonwealth supported students to pay their student contribution amount with either a loan or a discount for certain up-front payments. HECS‑HELP loans are available at all public universities and at a handful of private higher education providers.

VET Student Loans is an Australian Government loan scheme to assist eligible students studying diploma level and above qualifications to pay their tuition fees. There are no Government loans available for Certificate IV and lower levels of study including those offered at AVT.

To find out if you may be eligible for alternative support such as Youth Allowance, we recommend contacting Centrelink .