Traineeships and other Subsidised/Funded Study Options

There are several funding pathways to undertake professional courses and qualifications with the Communities at Work Centre of Professional Learning and Education: traineeships, skilled capital funding, and fee-for-service.

Traineeships and Subsidised Study With Communities at Work CPLE

Traineeships (User Choice Funding)

Traineeships with Communities at Work’s RTO are easy because you can combine your structured study/training with paid work at Communities at Work’s services; as a trainee, you earn while you learn to gain a nationally recognised qualification and enter the workforce at the same time.

Our traineeships model is designed to be flexible for both the student and employer, tailoring the training course to your needs by providing a variety of blended education opportunities. Our quality, evidence-based approach to delivering our training programs, consists of a range of teaching and learning strategies, including face to face workshops, webinars, workshop tasks, online learning, projects and on-the-job learning and assessment.

All learners must meet eligibility requirements and must pass a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment before enrolment can be offered.


Our Ascend Program is the most popular traineeship option which arms individuals interested in working with children with a Cert III qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care while engaging them in full-time paid work at our child care and education centres. This structured, on-the-job development program provides students with a qualification alongside valuable, paid work experience in the early learning sector, and applications only open twice a year! 


If you are an employer/business…

If you are an employer and want to engage an employee of yours to undertake vocational education and training with our RTO, we have a number of qualifications on offer under the User-Choice Funded Traineeship model, where they continue to work at your service while studying with us to earn while they learn.

Benefits of Traineeships

  • Trainees can continue working and earning an income while studying a nationally-recognised qualification
  • Networking opportunities for trainees
  • Training skills and knowledge to meet the needs of your business
  • Structured training in a flexible learning environment including face to face, online learning and on-the-job training
  • A cost-effective way of study with Government funding to subsidise the cost of training
  • Financial incentives for both the trainee and employer, pending trainee eligibility
  • Attainment of a nationally recognised qualification on successful completion of the training course

For information in regards to fees and charges please visit our Learner Resources and FAQs page.

What is User Choice Funding?

User Choice funding arrangements provide subsidised apprenticeships and traineeships. User Choice is an initiative funded by the ACT and Australian Governments and is available to eligible learners who are undertaking a nationally recognised qualification. The User Choice funded training contract is initiated by an Apprenticeship Network Provider (ANP) and is linked between the employer, trainee and registered training provider.

Ready to enrol?

Our approach to enrolment is to ensure both the trainee and employer have made an informed decision to enrol into a training course that is suitable for them. Enrolment is easy through the following steps:

  1. Select your employee candidate and discuss qualification/course possibilities
  2. Confirm their commitment to the training program, to your service standards, organisational requirements and expectations.
  3. Contact us at cple@commsatwork.org or phone 02 6293 6220 to inform us of your potential trainee.
  4. Organise a time to meet and discuss the training program and course requirements, including trainee eligibility.
  5. Register with an Apprentice Network Provider (ANP) prior to formal enrolment to initiate the training contract to access User Choice funding.
  6. Commence formal training!

Please note: Communities at Work’s Centre of Professional Learning and Education is not a registered training provider with CRICOS and therefore not eligible or permitted to provide nationally recognised training to international students in Australia on a student visa.

We provide vocational education and training qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care, as well as in Business. 


Skilled Capital Funding

Skilled Capital is an ACT Government training initiative, funded by the ACT and Australian Governments. Skilled Capital provides subsidised training in a selection of qualifications from the ACT Skills Needs Lists. Skilled Capital is available to eligible learners wanting to enrol into a nationally recognised qualification. Skilled Capital funding is subject to available places. All learners must meet eligibility requirements and must pass a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment before enrolment can be offered.

Benefits of Skilled Capital Funding

  • Skilled Capital is a training pathway, providing training in areas of skills needs, and maximising improved employment opportunities.
  • It provides candidates with the opportunity to access cost-effective subsidised training within the ACT.
  • A financial incentive for students! Pending eligibility, students may be eligible to receive a completion incentive of $300.00.

For further information regarding eligibility and releases of Skilled Captial funding, please visit the ACT Government Skilled Capital website.


Fee for Service (FFS)

The Fee-For-Service arrangement is not linked to any Government funding or subsidised training. Learners who do not meet eligibility through Government funding arrangements have the opportunity to enrol through FFS arrangements. Where funding is not offered, learners are liable to pay the full fees for the cost of undertaking a course or qualification. All learners must meet eligibility requirements and must pass a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) assessment before enrolment can be offered.

Please check out our Learner Resources & CPLE FAQs page for more information.


Contact Us

For further information on enrolment or funding, please contact the Centre of Professional Learning and Education on 02 6293 6220 or email cple@commsatwork.org.

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