About the Regional Education and Skills Program

The Regional Education and Skills Program is a BHP funded initiative that has been launched to support skills development in regional Australia.

The program will take the place of the 2022 Short Course Program and it will support eligible students to pursue University and VET programs by providing funding to contribute towards their tuition fees for a course of their choosing.

How does the funding work?

Students studying an eligible non-Bachelor degree course are eligible for funding up to $15,000 and students enrolled in an eligible Bachelor's degree are eligible for up to $24,000. Additionally, candidates approved to participate in the Program may also be eligible for a resources grant of up to $1,000 to support the purchase of study tools.

Find out if you are eligible to participate

Candidates will be assessed against criteria to determine if they are eligible for the program:

  • The industry area of study. Courses from a broad range of industry areas will be considered, however, key focus areas include health, early childhood education and care, engineering, construction, agriculture, teaching, environmental management, IT and Business.

  • Course type. Students must be enrolled or in the process of enrolling in a course starting from 2023 onwards. Eligible courses include Certificate I-IVs, Diplomas, Associate Degrees, Advanced Diplomas, Bachelor's Degrees, Undergraduate and Graduate Certificates, VET Skill Sets and Microcredentials listed on the MicroCred Seeker. To note - All higher education courses must be delivered by providers listed on the TEQSA National Register and all VET courses must be on the National Register of VET and delivered by a Registered Training Organisation.

  • Place of residence. Students must live in one of the following regional areas to be eligible for the program: Bowen Basin and Mackay in Qld, Upper Spencer Gulf and Roxby Downs in SA, the Pilbara and Goldfields region in WA or the Upper Hunter Region in NSW.

  • Purpose and community contribution. Students must demonstrate how they will use the course to support their career progression and local community needs.

Please note that the Future of Work Program is a social investment program with a primary purpose to promote the uptake of education pathways in target regional and remote areas, with a focus on employees of small-medium sized enterprises outside of the mining industry.

Apply to the program, learn new skills in your chosen field, and relax knowing you’re prepared for the future.

Once you submit an application for the Program, the Future of Work Team will determine if your application is successful, at which point you will get confirmation on the amount of funding you are eligible for.

Current application processing time is 3 - 4 weeks.

Search your postcode

Type your postcode in the box below to search if you’re in an eligible location.