ACE Scholarships Program Guidelines

The Victorian Adult Community Education (ACE) Scholarships Program is part of the National Skills Agreement (NSA) Ensuring Access to Foundation Skills initiative, which includes an action to build the capacity and capabilities of the Learn Local workforce to deliver foundation skills training.

The Program is open to prospective, new and existing Learn Local pre-accredited teachers/trainers to undertake qualifications, specialist training and upskilling in language, literacy and numeracy.

1.1 What is pre-accredited training?

Pre-accredited training provides opportunities for adult learners in Victoria to gain the educational capacity and core skills they need for study, work and life.

Core skills also known as foundation skills are defined as:

• language
• literacy
• numeracy
• employability
• digital skills.

Learn Local providers delivering pre-accredited training are registered with the Adult Community Further Education Board or covered under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006.

1.2 Role of Learn Local

Learn Locals are among Victoria’s most valuable community assets, improving the lives and prospects of many Victorians, and playing a positive role in strengthening local economies and communities.

The Learn Local sector is an essential part of Victoria’s post-compulsory education system. It plays four (4) crucial roles in supporting learners to enter and succeed in further study and employment:

1. Building confidence and skills for participation in education and training.
2. Supporting successful attainment in accredited nationally recognised training.
3. Building confidence and skills for participation in work.
4. Upskilling and reskilling vulnerable workers.

1.3 Program objectives and outcomes

The objective of the Victorian ACE Scholarships program is to increase:

• the quality, capacity and capability of core foundation skills training through community-based adult education
• attraction and retention of foundation skills teachers/trainers
• access to foundation skills in the adult, further and community education sector.

The following outcomes are expected to be achieved by the end of the program and will form the basis for evaluation of the program.

• Victoria’s adult community education workforce has increased capacity and capability to teach pre-accredited foundation skills programs
• More foundation skills trainers are attracted to, and retained in, Victoria’s adult community education workforce
• Adults seeking community-based education have greater access to training in foundation skills.

The ACE Scholarships Program is open to prospective, new and existing Learn Local pre-accredited teachers/trainers.

The applicant must:

• be an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen or the holder of a permanent residency visa
• be a Victorian resident
• not be receiving any other scholarship, financial support or grant from the department for the approved course they are accepted into OR are studying.

Note: Selected scholarships in this program are only available to existing Learn Local staff or teachers. These are identified in the Approved Courses section.

It is a condition of the scholarship that eligible applicants:

• complete the nominated course
• complete all associated scholarship obligations
• participate in evaluation activities
• consent to sharing their personal information with the Victorian government.

Please note the following application steps.

Scholarships are assessed and delivered by the education provider.

Subject to availability of funds, scholarships will be available between 2026 and 2028.

There is a limited number of scholarships available. Applicants should apply early as places may fill quickly (see Key dates for 2026 section).

Note: The ACE Scholarship Program includes multiple intakes per year. Cut-off dates for scholarship applications, course commencement dates and course fees must be confirmed by the applicant directly with the education provider.

Applications will be assessed in order of submission to the education provider. Applications may not be considered if the application is incomplete.

Scholarships of differing values are available depending on the approved course.

Course costs will be paid by the Department directly to the education provider to cover course fee (refer Approved courses section).

Note: If the scholarship recipient is enrolling in and is eligible for an approved course that offers Free TAFE, the scholarship amount will be adjusted to cover the financial support component only.

If additional financial support is part of the scholarship, the education provider will allocate and administer these funds and pay them directly to the scholarship recipient. These payments will be made to the scholarship recipient in instalments by the education provider and in accordance with the guidelines and the education providers’ terms and conditions.

4.1 Consequences of non-compliance

Failure to meet and continue to meet conditions of the scholarship may result in withholding of scholarship payments, termination of the scholarship (including the agreement entered into with the education provider) and repayment of some or all of the scholarship.

The Department and/or the education provider may request information from the student relating to the scholarship including to verify eligibility and that the conditions of the scholarship have been and are continuing to be met.

4.2 Release

The Department is not liable to make any payment of scholarship funds directly to a scholarship recipient.

The scholarship recipient fully releases the Department from any claims in relation to this program and these Guidelines including in relation to any eligibility assessment, an award or failure to award a scholarship, provision of the course or any failure to provide the course, the scholarship funds and payments to the recipient, and any consequences of breach of scholarship conditions.

4.3 Tax consideration

Receipt of a scholarship may have taxation implications or implications for Commonwealth benefits (such as Austudy, Family Allowance and Childcare Benefits) and Commonwealth obligations (including Medicare Levy, HECS-HELP and child support).

Scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining their own financial advice and taxation advice including on the tax treatment of scholarships.

Please note that different tax treatment may apply in individual cases and the payments may not be tax exempt, meaning that you may be required to include scholarship funds in your assessable income (in whole or in part, including course fees paid on your behalf and/or additional financial support). This may depend on a range of circumstances, including whether you study full time or part time.

Applicants must choose from the approved courses detailed below. There are tertiary and vocational education and training options.

Entry eligibility and requirements must be discussed with the course coordinators at the education provider. All scholarship amounts listed are ex tax. Some information in the table below may be subject to change.

5.3 Important information about TAESS00026 and TAE40122 approved courses

In 2026, applicants can apply for a scholarship to complete the:

• TAESS00026 Foundation Skills Integration Skill Set (open to existing Learn Local staff only)
• TAESS00026 Foundation Skills Integration Skill Set then pathway with full recognition into the TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment delivered by Park Orchards Community House & Learning Centre (f-2-f) or Chisholm Institute (online program)
• TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment including TAESS00026 Foundation Skills Integration Skill Set delivered by Park Orchards Community House & Learning Centre.

5.4 Exceptions to approved courses

There are also limited opportunities for applicants to receive scholarship support for adult LLN/foundation skills qualifications that are not on the approved qualification list.

To request an exception to an approved course, you are required to email training.participation@djsir.vic.gov.au with the following information:

1. Your full name
2. Learn Local provider name (if working at a Learn Local)
3. Course code and course title
4. Education provider
5. Course description
6. Course cost
7. Course length
8. Summarise your compelling case for an exception to the approved course list

Your application will be assessed by the ACE Scholarships Program expert panel against strict adult LLN criteria.

If successful, the scholarship amount will be determined by the Department and you will be notified within 10 working days of your emailed application.

All scholarship recipients in this program will have access to mentoring and a Community of Practice via the Learn Local Secure Portal learning management system.

7.1 Teaching activities

Accredited foundation skills course scholarship recipients will be obliged to teach at a Learn Local provider for 200 hours to receive their final milestone payment. (With the exception of TAESS0026 Foundation Skills Integration Skill Set and Victoria University Literacy in the Community unit, which are only open to existing Learn Local staff.)

This may be in a voluntary or paid capacity.

Teaching activities that may be performed as part of the scholarship obligation include:

• pre-accredited program delivery
• pre-accredited program design and development
• pre-accredited resource development
• pre-accredited classroom support
• pre-accredited learner support, interview or pre-assessment.

Note: Scholarship recipients are solely responsible for achieving the scholarship conditions.

The Department does not guarantee employment at a Learn Local provider.

Scholarship recipients have up to two (2) years to complete the teaching activities at a Learn Local provider.

The Department can offer limited support to Scholarship recipients to make the right connections to achieve their scholarship obligation requirements with Learn Local providers, who have expressed interest in becoming a host Learn Local (refer Appendix A). Contact training.participation@djsir.vic.gov.au.

Any changes to scholarship recipient’s teaching activities at a Learn Local provider must be reported to the education provider.

7.2 Additional online learning

Literacy in the Community scholarship recipients must complete 10 additional hours of online learning via the Learn Local Secure Portal that focuses on foundation skills.

7.3 Reflection

All scholarship recipients must:

• participate in an evaluation of the Program
• complete a reflection based on the benefits they experienced as a direct result of being a scholarship recipient in the Victorian ACE Scholarships Programs.

The final payment for all scholarships will be paid upon receipt of:

• evidence of teaching activities (CSU tertiary and TAE40122 qualifications)
• a 300-word reflection (CSU tertiary and TAE40122 qualifications)
• a 100-word reflection (TAESS00026 Foundation Skills Integration Skill Set and Victoria University Literacy in the Community unit)
• 2–5 images that capture the scholarship recipient’s experience of the Victorian ACE Scholarships Program
• a signed permission form for the Department to use image/s to promote the Program (Attachment B).

Scholarships will be administered by the education providers and applied to cover the enrolled course study. If available, an amount for financial support will be paid by the education provider directly to the student. The maximum duration of study is four years dependent upon the course being undertaken.

Scholarship payments are subject to the conditions of scholarship as set out in these Guidelines including, ongoing enrolment, satisfactory academic performance being maintained, and completion of the minimum Learn Local teaching hours.

8.1 Repayments for non-completion

If the scholarship recipient does not complete the qualification within the time permitted by the education provider, and in accordance with the scholarship guidelines and course requirements, the scholarship recipient will be responsible for the costs of, and will promptly repay, the funding provided to the education provider.

Repayment for non-completion will be made in accordance with the education providers’ scholarship terms and conditions. The repayment amount will take into account the number of individual units successfully completed within a qualification or skillset and the education providers’ terms and conditions.

Special consideration may be available in relation to the any repayment obligations (refer Compassionate consideration section).

The ACE Scholarships Program runs from 2026 to 2028 and supports commencements across the three years. The table below details confirmed intakes for 2026.

Note: the dates listed below are commencement dates. All dates including application closures should be confirmed with the education provider.

Scholarship applications must be submitted well in advance of these dates to allow sufficient time to assess program eligibility, determine outcomes and for successful applicants to enrol.

Please consider personal financial circumstances before applying as the scholarship recipient will be responsible for paying all additional costs associated with their approved course, above the amount awarded by the department. Additional fees the scholarship recipient may need to cover will vary depending on the course but may include student services amenities fees, repeat and enrolment reinstatement fees, document fees, photocopying and printing fees, etc.

Make sure you discuss any additional costs that you may be responsible for with the education provider.

Where a scholarship includes financial support, other than course fees scholarship recipients can decide how best to use the balance of their scholarship funds to support their studies.

The scholarship amounts listed in these guidelines are ex GST. Please seek independent advice regarding the impact of a scholarship on taxation and Government benefit schemes, including, but not limited to, those administered through Centrelink.

Where unforeseen exceptional circumstances have prevented a recipient from meeting their scholarship conditions, they may request a review of some, or all, of the repayment obligations to the service provider. This may involve a review of the amount payable and/or determine the method, timeframe and frequency of funding repayment.

The education provider will assess such requests on a case-by-case basis using their own administrative process which may require evidentiary documentation, and the Department reserves the right to approve any waiver or extensions of time to make repayment.

Any personal information provided for this program will be collected by the education provider on behalf of the Department and used for the purposes of assessing eligibility, program administration, program review and evaluation. The Department completes a range of eligibility assessments that may include data matching to clarify the accuracy and quality of information supplied. This is part of our auditing and monitoring processes and for confirming eligibility across this program.

In assessing an application for the program as well as in any audit or evaluation of a successful grant, it may be necessary to share personal information with State and Commonwealth Government departments and agencies, as well as other external experts. If personal information about a third party is included in the application, the applicant must ensure the third party is aware of and consents to the contents of this privacy statement.

The Department collects demographic information for economic reporting purposes. No personal information is used in reporting; all reports are presented with aggregated data.

Any personal information about the applicant or a third party will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed, or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and other applicable laws.

Enquiries about access or correction to your personal information, can be emailed to training.participation@djsir.vic.gov.au.

Other concerns regarding the privacy of personal information, can be emailed to the Department’s Privacy Unit at privacy@ecodev.vic.gov.au. The Department’s privacy policy is also available by emailing the Department’s Privacy Unit.

If an applicant wants to lodge a complaint or provide feedback to the department about the process for a scholarship application, requests can be made via this online form or by calling 1800 878 969.

Requests can be made in relation to the application process and adherence to these guidelines. Re-assessment of an application or overturning of a funding decision for a merit-based grant, will not be considered through the complaints process.

Once your complaint has been received by the department, it will be acknowledged within 2 working days and provided to the review team to be resolved.

Your complaint will be resolved within 28 business days unless further investigation is required. If further investigation is required, you may be contacted by phone or email asking for additional information.

Scholarship recipients may be required to provide additional information to the department or education providers in relation to the evaluation of the program or participate in program evaluation activities initiated by the department, for a nominated period after program completion.

Program evaluation is critical to the department in understanding program impact, supporting continuous improvement in program design and delivery, and delivering effective grant program outcomes for Victoria.

Applicants and scholarship recipients can email training.participation@djsir.vic.gov.au for more information.

To support the scholarship recipient to make the right connections to complete their scholarship obligation requirements, Learn Local providers can express interest in becoming a host Learn Local by completing this form.

Scholarship recipients will then be given the contact details of a suitable host Learn Local provider, so they can make the necessary arrangements directly.

Host Learn Local providers will need to:

• have a current Adult Community Further Education Board (ACFEB) pre-accredited service agreement
• comply with all relevant Victorian and federal workplace laws / regulations relating to employing paid or volunteer staff
• have the necessary insurances required for their staff
• facilitate volunteer or paid pre-accredited teaching activities for the scholarship recipient including offering some support and mentorship
• provide evidence to Departmental contact of the scholarship recipient’s scholarship obligation milestones (i.e. commencement date and total hours/days worked in the teaching year – noting the minimum required is 200 hours with a two year period upon completion of the qualification).

Participating Learn Local providers are eligible for a host incentive payment of $1,500.00 per scholarship recipient.

General disclaimer

The Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions does not accept any liability for the scholarship obligation arrangements made between the ACE scholarship recipient and the Learn Local.

Download the ACE Scholarships Program image consent form here.