The training and study category is one of the best value sections of the Workforce Australia points system. Twenty-five points the moment you enrol in an approved course, plus five points for every week you remain enrolled. That is 45 points for a four-week course, before you have done any of the work that course requires you to do.
For many JobSeeker recipients, the biggest question is which courses actually qualify. The general guidance is "accredited training" but the practical reality is broader than that. State government training programs, TAFE units, short courses, and a range of approved online options all count. Several of them are free or near-free for JobSeeker recipients.
This post is the plain English walkthrough of what qualifies, where to find approved courses, which ones are worth doing for reasons beyond points, and how to log a course properly so the points actually credit.
For the general points system, the anchor post on Workforce Australia points covers the structure. This one is the training-specific deep dive.
What qualifies as an approved course
The Workforce Australia system recognises several categories of training.
Accredited vocational education. Anything on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Certificate I through Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, and equivalent qualifications. These are the bread-and-butter approved courses. TAFE, registered private providers, and recognised training organisations all offer them.
Higher education. University units, undergraduate and postgraduate, where the institution is recognised. A single subject at a university typically qualifies, not just a full degree.
State government training programs. Each state runs subsidised training programs aimed at job seekers and workers needing reskilling. Most of the courses funded under these programs are accredited and qualify for Workforce Australia points.
Workforce Australia approved short courses. A specific list of short courses, often free or low cost, listed in the Workforce Australia portal. These are designed for fast skill acquisition and tend to be 4 to 12 weeks in length.
Online accredited learning. Some online providers offer accredited courses that qualify. The key word is "accredited." Generic LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, Udemy, and Skillshare courses do not qualify, even if they cover the same material, because they are not nationally accredited.
The pattern is consistent. The course has to be accredited under a recognised framework, the provider has to be registered, and the enrolment has to be verifiable.
State government programs worth knowing
Each state has its own subsidised training programs. The names and structures differ but the principle is the same. Eligible job seekers (often including JobSeeker recipients) can access subsidised or free training in approved courses.
Smart and Skilled (New South Wales). A wide range of subsidised qualifications and short courses. Eligible NSW residents can access fee-free or low-cost training in priority skill areas. Operated through TAFE NSW and approved private providers.
Skills First (Victoria). The Victorian equivalent. Eligible learners access subsidised training through TAFE Victoria and registered private providers. Includes both full qualifications and short courses.
Free TAFE (Queensland). Queensland offers fee-free TAFE for selected courses in priority areas. Eligible job seekers can study courses ranging from Certificate II to Diploma level without paying tuition.
JobTrainer (national, ongoing). The national JobTrainer initiative funds short and full qualifications in priority skills. Eligible learners access these at no or low cost. The list of approved courses changes over time, so the current list is worth checking on the JobTrainer website.
TAFE WA, TAFE SA, TasTAFE, CIT, Charles Darwin University. Each state and territory has its own training organisation with subsidised options for eligible learners.
If you are a JobSeeker recipient, you are usually eligible for at least one subsidised pathway in your state. The catch is that the eligibility rules and the course lists change reasonably often, so the right starting point is the relevant state government training website rather than out-of-date third-party summaries.
High-value course types
Not all approved courses are equally useful. The 25 commencement points are the same regardless of what you study, but if you are going to invest the actual time in a course, picking one that builds employable skills makes the time work double.
Certificate III in Individual Support (aged care or disability). Strong job market demand, completion leads directly to entry-level paid work in a growing sector. Around 12 to 18 months for full qualification.
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. Pathway to childcare work, which is in shortage in most parts of Australia.
Certificate II or III in Business or Business Administration. Foundation business skills, useful across many sectors. Short enough to complete in a few months at part-time pace.
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE). Required to teach VET courses. A relatively short qualification that opens up training and instructor work.
Cyber security short courses. Several JobTrainer-funded short courses in this space. High demand industry, often well paid, and the short courses can be a stepping stone to longer qualifications.
Digital skills courses. Microsoft Office, basic data analysis, web fundamentals. Less prestigious than university but practically useful and often free under state programs.
White Card, RSA, RSG, Forklift, First Aid. Single-day or short-course tickets that qualify for hospitality, construction, warehouse, and event work. Each one immediately broadens the kinds of casual work you can take. These are sometimes free for job seekers through specific provider programs.
If you are not sure what to study, the consistent advice from career counsellors is to pick a course that maps to a job market you can actually picture yourself working in, rather than picking based on what sounds interesting in the abstract. The 25 points are the same either way. The downstream value depends entirely on whether the course leads anywhere.
How long a course needs to be
There is no minimum course length for the commencement points. A short course that takes a single day still earns 25 points on enrolment, although the ongoing weekly points obviously cannot extend beyond the course duration.
For maximum points, longer courses are better because they continue to earn 5 points per week of enrolment. A course running across four months earns 25 + (16 × 5) = 105 points across its duration. The same 25 commencement points earned for a one-week course earn only 30 total.
In practice, the best approach for steady monthly points is one ongoing course (something running across several months) supplemented with shorter courses started at different times. The ongoing course provides consistent weekly points, and the short course commencements give occasional 25-point bumps.
What you should not do is enrol in courses you have no intention of attending, just for the commencement bonus. The system tracks weekly enrolment through the provider's reporting, and failing to actually engage with a course can result in withdrawal, which removes the weekly points and can affect future eligibility.
How to log a course
Logging is straightforward once you have the documentation.
At commencement. Upload your enrolment confirmation, course offer letter, or equivalent document showing your enrolment date and the course details. The system credits 25 points within a few business days.
Weekly enrolment. Most accredited providers report enrolment data directly to Workforce Australia, so the weekly points are credited automatically. If your provider does not report automatically (some smaller providers do not), you may need to upload a weekly confirmation manually. Your provider can give you a template for this.
At completion. Upload your completion certificate. This does not earn additional points beyond the weekly enrolment, but it is useful for your record and for any future training applications.
If weekly points are not appearing after a few weeks, check with your provider whether they are reporting your enrolment to Workforce Australia. Some providers default to opt-in for this reporting, which means you may need to specifically request it.
Combining courses with other obligations
The points from training can dominate a monthly total but they do not exempt you from the other elements of your Job Plan.
Minimum job applications. The Job Plan minimum (often around five applications per month) still applies. The points from training do not substitute for the application minimum.
Required activities. If your Job Plan specifies attendance at workshops, Work for the Dole, or other activities, those are still required.
Course attendance as the activity. In some cases, your Job Plan can be amended to make course attendance the primary activity, with reduced application minimums. This is worth raising with your provider if you are pursuing a longer qualification.
The combination of a course plus a small number of tailored applications is the version of the points system that produces both compliance and progress. The course builds something durable. The applications produce job interviews. The points target is cleared without grinding cold applications.
Free and low-cost course options worth investigating
A non-exhaustive list of starting points for finding free or near-free approved courses.
My Skills (myskills.gov.au). The national database of accredited courses and providers. Search by location, by course type, and by qualification level.
Your state TAFE website. Each TAFE has a "Free TAFE" or subsidised courses page listing the current funded options.
JobTrainer (jobtrainer.gov.au). Current list of nationally subsidised courses under the JobTrainer initiative.
Australian Apprenticeships (australianapprenticeships.gov.au). If you are open to an apprenticeship or traineeship, this is the central resource. Apprenticeships combine paid work with training and are particularly accessible for job seekers.
Workforce Australia portal. Logged in, the portal often shows approved courses available in your area, with the ones eligible for subsidy flagged.
Adult and Community Education (ACE) providers. Many ACE providers offer accredited short courses funded under state programs.
When evaluating a specific course, the two questions worth asking the provider directly are: is this course currently subsidised for JobSeeker recipients, and is the provider registered to report enrolment to Workforce Australia. A yes to both means you can enrol with confidence that the points will credit.
A useful frame
Training is one of the more genuinely valuable activities in the points system because the time investment goes somewhere. Unlike twenty cold applications that produce nothing, a completed Certificate III leaves you with a qualification, an updated resume, and (often) connections to people who can help with paid work in that field.
The 25 commencement points are the system rewarding you for starting. The 5 weekly points are the system rewarding you for staying enrolled. The real value is what the course builds, not the points themselves. Picking courses that genuinely move you toward paid work makes the time investment work twice.
For the broader points context, the anchor post on Workforce Australia points covers the system end-to-end. For ranking activities by points per hour, the fastest way to 100 points post is the one that puts training in context with the other options. For the rules around what counts, the plain English rules post covers the edge cases.