The ACFE Board provides funding to eligible Learn Local providers to deliver education and training programs to a broad range of Victorians who are above compulsory school age and who are seeking to gain the educational capacity and core skills they need for study, work and life.
Learner eligibility criteria
To be eligible to enrol in ACFE Board funded pre-accredited training, providers must ensure that participants meet the following conditions:
- Learner eligibility is conditional upon Table 1 and Table 2 below.
- For a learner to be eligible, they must meet one of the criteria in Table 1, regarding both citizenship or permanent residency, and age requirements.
- The learner will be ineligible if they fall within any category in Table 2.
Table 1
The learner must meet one of the following criteria:
| Criteria | Citizenship/permanent residency status | Age requirement
|
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian citizen | Meets above age requirement |
| 2 | Holder of an Australian permanent visa | Meets above age requirement |
| 3 | New Zealand citizen | Meets above age requirement |
| 4 | Asylum seekers holding valid visa that confers eligibility for Skills First training under the Asylum Seeker VET program | Meets above age requirement |
Table 2
The learner is ineligible if one of the following categories applies:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | A prisoner held at a prison, within the meaning of the Corrections Act 1986. |
| 2 | Detained under the Mental Health Act 1986; or the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to Be Tried) Act 1997 or the Sentencing Act 1991 at the Thomas Embling Hospital. |
| 3 | Detained (other than on weekend detention) under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 or the Sentencing Act 1991 or who is held on remand in the Malmsbury Juvenile Justice Centre or Parkville Youth Residential Centre. |
| 4 | Non-citizenship/non-permanent residents and asylum seekers not listed in the previous table. |
| 5 | Learn Local provider paid staff. They are regarded as fee-for-service enrolments. |
Learner eligibility assessment and evidence
The Learn Local provider must assess a learner’s eligibility against the requirements outlined in this section, including:
- sighting evidence
- completing the Eligibility and Student Declaration Form at Attachment 1 in the Learner Eligibility Assessment and Evidence Fact Sheet.
Note: An authorised delegate of the training provider can grant eligibility on face value, via interview if documentation is unavailable confirming:
- citizenship, or
- age.
Please refer to the Learner Eligibility Assessment and Evidence Fact Sheet for further details on the current process. Download from the Learn Local sector hub, located on your Dashboard in the Learn Local secure portal.
Provider eligibility criteria
To be eligible to receive government subsidised pre-accredited training delivery grant funding, providers must meet the following criteria:
Registration
Providers must be:
- registered with the ACFE Board, or
- covered under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (AMES & CAE).
Registration does not guarantee funding. Visit Become a registered Learn Local provider on the Learn Local sector website for information on registration with the ACFE Board.
Current BGS
- Providers must have a Business and Governance Status (BGS) Assessment.
- Providers with a Skills First Contract or who operate under the auspices of local government are exempt. However, they must obtain a BGS if the circumstances granting exemption change.
See Business and governance status assessment on the Learn Local Sector website for more information about the BGS assessment process.
Comply with data reporting requirements
- As laid out in the 2025 Pre-Accredited Training Data Reporting Guidelines.
If you wish to deliver pre-accredited training in 2025, but have not delivered in 2024, please contact your regional office as soon as possible.
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