What is Adult and Community Education (ACE)?

The Adult and Community Education (ACE) Program has been designed to support to those who are disadvantaged and who need additional skills and knowledge to move into further study and/or gain employment.

The program will also offer support to small business owners and their staff by providing fully subsidised accredited and non accredited training in targeted courses in information technology, business services or foundation skills. This stream is referred to as Tech Savvy for Small Business (TSB) - see Tech Savvy for Small Business funding page.

Eligibility for ACE

You must be:

a) an Australian citizen, permanent resident or humanitarian visa holder, or a New Zealand citizen, and
b) be aged 15 years or older, and
c) live or work in NSW, and
d) no longer be at school or equivalent.

and ONE of the following:

• An Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or
• Someone with a physical or mental impairment or is the dependant child, spouse or partner of this person, or
• Someone who is experiencing significant hardship, including economic hardship, or
• Someone who has English as an additional language and who is unable to effectively participate in the community or in employment, or
• Vulnerable Youth 15 – 24 years old who is no longer enrolled in secondary education, or
• Someone who needs support to access educational opportunities. This includes:

            - Students who have not completed Year 12 or equivalent
            - People who are unemployed or underemployed (working less that 25 hours per week)
            - People who have exited or at risk of entering the criminal justice system
            - People returning to the workforce after a gap of over 12 months
            - Mature age students (people aged over 55 years)who are looking to re-skill or upskill
            - People who have/are experiencing domestic violence, family violence or coercion.
            - People who are looking to re-skill or upskill due to unforeseen circumstances
              eg COVID-19 impact, industry closure, recovering from injuryand or mental health issues
            - People recovering from drug/alcohol abuse, or

• A recipient of an Applicable Benefit (listed below), or a dependent child, spouse or partner of a recipient of an Applicable Benefit.

Applicable Benefits

• Age Pension
• Austudy
• Carer Payment
• Disability Support Pension
• Farm Household Allowance
• Family Tax Benefit Part A (maximum rate)
• Jobseeker Payment
• Parenting Payment (Single)
• Special Benefit
• Veterans' Children Education Scheme
• Veterans' Affairs Pensions
• Widow Allowance
• Youth Allowance

(Note: The Carer Payment is a specific benefit paid by the Commonwealth; this category does not include the Carer Allowance or Carer Adjustment Pay Step)

Courses Available

The College is currently offering a range of short courses designed to help improve your work skills. Click here for a list of current courses.

The focus of the ACE funding is to provide short courses to eligible applicants, however if barriers to attending an entitlement course up to and including Certificate III qualifications exist, limited full qualifications may be available.

Student Fees

No course fee for eligible students.

What Next?

For more information please contact Susan Wilkinson on 9970 1000 or email vet@nbmc.nsw.edu.au. We can assess your eligibility and your training needs to work out an individual training plan (which may include more than one course) to provide a pathway to further training and/or improved employment opportunities.

This training is subsidised by the NSW Government – for more information on Smart & Skilled go to The Smart and Skilled Website

Northern Beaches & Mosman College
Registered Training Organisation – National ID 90113