Smart and Skilled loadings for training providers
Loadings are a top-up to the subsidy paid to the training provider under NSW Smart and Skilled. Find out when and how they apply.
Who are the loadings for?
Approved training providers may be eligible for a loading under NSW Smart and Skilled. This is the program providing government subsidies for approved vocational education and training.
There are loadings covering two key categories: student needs and locations.
In addition to the following information on 'loadings' you can also visit our Prices, fees and subsidies page for Smart and Skilled. You can also contact Training Services NSW who administer the program.
What are the loadings for?
The loadings provided to approved training providers under the NSW Smart and Skilled program:
- compensate training providers for typical additional costs for training students in specific categories
- ensures there’s no financial disincentive for training providers to enrol these students.
- are provided for two main reasons: students’ needs and locations.
Needs loading
Eligible training providers receive from the NSW Government:
- A needs loading of 15 per cent of the qualification price for delivering training to:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
- students with disabilities.
- A needs loading of 10 per cent of the qualification price for delivering training to long-term unemployed students.
Location loading
Eligible training providers receive from the Government a location loading providing:
- an additional 10 per cent of the qualification price on top of the subsidy paid to the provider for students in regional locations
- an additional 20 per cent for students in remote locations (see below).
Who is eligible for regional and remote loading?
The location loading is based on the student's home address for the majority of the time they are training.
Eligibility for a regional or remote loading is based on Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) categories:
- Regional includes the ARIA category ‘Inner Regional'. Examples include Lithgow, Taree and Yass.
- Remote includes the ARIA categories ‘Outer Regional', ‘Remote' and ‘Very Remote'. Examples include Broken Hill, Condobolin, Narrabri and Tenterfield.
How about online courses?
Approved Smart and Skilled training providers are not eligible for location loadings applied to those courses if they deliver those courses:
100 percent online or
fully via correspondence, or
a combination of online and via correspondence.
Related information
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Smart and Skilled eligibility
- Students with disabilities