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A co-contribution fee is the fee that is required to be paid by the participant or employer. The value of the co-contribution fee payable is set by CSQ and intended to demonstrate a shared investment from the participants in their training.

CSQ has introduced a co-contribution fee to ensure participants have a shared investment in their training to help with improving engagement and completion rates in full qualifications. The co-contribution fee will promote transparency and consistency across all training Suppliers by standardising course costs.

Importantly, it helps shift the focus away from price competition and toward training quality and outcomes, supporting a stronger and more skilled construction workforce in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

CSQ’s intent is to ensure participants are committed by having a financial stake in their training.

Typically, the participant or the participant’s employer is responsible for paying the co-contribution fee. Depending on the agreement between the RTO, employer, and participant.

Yes. Collection of the co-contribution fee is mandatory where stipulated by CSQ.

Participants must:

• have the right to work in Australia; and
• be an eligible worker, or
• be an unemployed eligible worker in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry; and
• must meet all program eligibility requirements as per the relevant program schedule.

Participants wanting to access CSQ funding are required provide the required documentation as requested by the RTO prior to the commencement of training. Where a participant does not provide sufficient evidence, as a trusted Supplier, you are under no obligation to offer funding to the participant.

An eligible worker is someone who is an employee or Self-employed worker, who can demonstrate primary and substantial direct involvement in the:

• Queensland Building and Construction Industry doing:
  • construction, significant renovations and extensions of, residential and commercial buildings
  • installation services for interiors of residential and commercial buildings in associated trades; electrical, plumbing, flooring etc.
  • works on a major infrastructure project; or
• the Queensland Civil Construction industry doing:
  • land development and site preparation for the purpose of construction
  • works for civil infrastructure
  • works on a major infrastructure project

Primary and substantial direct involvement refers to a participant’s active and ongoing participation in hands-on construction work.

This means their main job tasks directly contribute to building or civil construction activities — not just support, admin, or coordination roles. They must be personally performing construction related work as a core part of their role, regularly and meaningfully, not occasionally or indirectly.

A participant who is wanting to enrol and complete a building and construction related unit or qualification is not automatically eligible for funding.

To be eligible, a participant must:

• have the right to work in Australia; and
• be an eligible worker, or
• unemployed eligible worker in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry; and
• must meet all program eligibility requirements as per the relevant program schedule.

For an RTO to assess a participant’s eligibility, all documentation must be provided on or before the commencement of training.

No, workers who are responsible for performing duties that involve the maintaining or repairing of existing structures or infrastructure to maintain their current condition would not be eligible. Examples may include, replacing broken tiles or fixing minor roof leaks, fixing leaking pipes.

The duties they are performing do not alter, extend, or enhance structures beyond their regular upkeep as it does not involve construction, major renovation or new building work.

No, workers who are substantially engaged in lawn care, tree planting, and irrigation, garden design and maintenance, soft landscaping (plants,
mulch, & soil work), maintaining green spaces, parks & cemeteries (including grave digging) would not be eligible as these duties would fall under horticulture.

No, a participant who is working in quarry is not eligible, as quarrying is part of the mining and resources sector.

If the participant is doing construction work on a quarry site, such as building infrastructure, clearing land to make way for development of infrastructure, and this is their primary role, they may be eligible. A participant’s eligibility is to be assessed against the eligible worker criteria.

No, to be eligible for the funding, a participant must be completed by the program completion date.

Administration and clerical workers employed by an employer who is in the Queensland Building and Construction industry are only eligible for:

• Higher Qualifications – Building, or
• Higher Qualifications – Civil

Administrative and clerical workers are not eligible for the Short Courses and Skills Assessment and Gap Training Programs.

No, a participant performing maintenance on a mining site is not eligible for CSQ subsidy. The mining and resources sector work is not part of the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

Routine maintenance, e.g., servicing machinery, equipment repairs is not considered construction work. CSQ funding only applies to building and civil construction work, not general site maintenance in industries outside of the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

No, they would not be eligible as the work they are performing would fall under manufacturing and not building and construction.

No, to be eligible for the subsidy a participant must be an eligible worker in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

Eligibility may only apply where telecommunications work is being performed directly on a building or construction site as part of a broader construction project (e.g. new housing development or civil works) where the employer is responsible for building and construction work.

No, CSQ will not subsidise a unit of competency or qualification where the participant has already undertaken the training, regardless of the subsidy.

This also includes when a unit of competency is superseded and equivalent to a new version. An exception does apply to identified short courses, where they are an approved refresher course.

RTOs are to provide recognition of part of your responsibilities as an RTO under the standards.

Employers do not qualify for the funding, only their workers may providing they meet all the eligibility requirements.

The employer must be engaged in building and construction work in Queensland, but this alone does not determine a participant’s eligibility.

Eligibility for funding is assessed at the participant level, based on their role and duties performed in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry. When assessing a participant’s eligibility, the employer should be directly engaged in building and construction work within the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

A visa holder who has the right to work in Australia and has been employed as an eligible worker in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry for 6 months or more is eligible for the CSQ funding.

Not all employees of a Local Council are eligible for CSQ funding. Only employees who can demonstrate primary and substantial direct involvement in the building and  construction industry doing the scope of work are eligible for:

• Short Courses – Civil
• Skills Assessment and Gap Training – Civil
• Higher Qualifications – Civil

Yes, where they can demonstrate primary and substantial direct involvement in performing the work in the Queensland Building and Construction Industry and they meet all program and participant eligibility requirements.

Yes, a structural landscaper may be eligible where their work involves construction related duties, such as:

• building retaining walls, constructing paving, decking and fencing
• installing drainage systems, foundations or earthworks for landscaping
• site preparation for land scape areas for example – grading or levelling

Yes, where the site supervisor is actively involved in construction activities on-site, overseeing work, ensuring  compliance, and directly managing trades.

They would not be eligible if the role they are performing is primarily office based focusing on contract administration, scheduling without substantial on-site engagement in construction work.

Yes, where they are on site performing the duties directly relating to the Queensland Building and Construction Industry.

Where they are not an eligible worker, and working in the part of a scaffolding business that is responsible for the hiring of scaffolding, they would not be eligible.

Yes, where they can demonstrate primary and substantial direct involvement in the construction industry – they are actively engaged on a construction site in Queensland as part of a building or civil construction project.

Where they are primarily and substantially engaged in performing traffic controller duties for other industries they would not be eligible.

Yes, apprentices and trainees who meet the eligible worker criteria are eligible for the 25/26 Short Courses program only. Regardless of the timing, funding is not payable, where the training required forms part of their training plan to complete their apprenticeship or traineeship.

Apprentices and Trainees are not eligible for:

• Skills Assessment & Gap Training – Building and Civil
• Higher Qualifications – Building and Civil