If you’re a Queensland business or organisation looking to hire and train Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander staff, there’s a state government grant worth knowing about: the Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant (IWSDG). It offers funding of up to $350,000 for training projects, or $20,000 to help cover the cost of employing a trainee, apprentice or graduate. This guide explains, in plain language, what it is, who it’s for, and what you need to know before you apply.
What is the Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant?
The IWSDG is a Queensland Government program that funds training and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It sits inside a bigger joint Australian and Queensland Government initiative called Closing the Gap in Vocational Education and Training.
The program is split into two separate funding streams, and they work quite differently, so it’s worth understanding both before deciding which one (or both) fits your organisation.
How much funding is available, and how does it work?
Stream 1: Place-Based Projects. This stream funds structured training projects, up to $350,000 for a 12-month project. The exact amount depends on your location, the type of training, how many participants you’re supporting, and whether specialist services are needed. Longer contracts can be considered, but funding cannot extend past 30 September 2028.
Stream 2: Subsidised Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Graduate Employment. This stream gives eligible employers $20,000 to help cover the cost of employing a trainee, apprentice or graduate for at least 12 months. Unlike the first stream, this one stays open on an ongoing basis until all available positions are allocated, there’s no fixed closing date to watch for.
Who qualifies?
Eligibility is different for each stream.
For Place-Based Projects, your organisation needs: demonstrated experience supporting training or employment for Indigenous peoples, a Queensland base with an ABN and GST registration, at least two years of continuous operation, audited financial statements from the past two years, and to be structured as an incorporated association, public company, or local council. You’ll also need to submit governance documentation. Participants need to be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, aged 15 or over, not enrolled in school, unemployed or underemployed, and based in Queensland. Training under this stream is delivered at no cost to participants.
For the Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Graduate Employment stream, eligible employers need to be located in Queensland with an ABN and GST registration, operating in one of the program’s priority industries (construction, education and training, healthcare, manufacturing, primary industry, professional services, public administration, or resources and energy), and culturally competent to support Indigenous trainees or graduates. Employers can be an incorporated association, public company, local council, or an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander-owned (51% or more) private company or sole trader. Other business types may still be eligible through a partnership arrangement.
The employee themselves needs to identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, be 18 or over, not enrolled in school, and new to your organisation. They can’t already be participating in another DTET-funded project. Trainees and apprentices need to have been unemployed or underemployed immediately before starting, and graduates need to have completed a relevant qualification within the past 12 months. One important detail: the candidate must not already be employed by you at the time your application is assessed, this funding is meant to support a new placement, not backdate an existing one.
Who does NOT qualify?
For Place-Based Projects, organisations without at least two years of continuous operating history, unregistered entities, or organisations based outside Queensland are not eligible.
For the employment stream, businesses outside the listed priority industries are generally not eligible unless approved through a partnership arrangement, and candidates who are already employed by the applying organisation before assessment do not qualify.
What can the funding be used for?
Place-Based Project funding covers the direct cost of delivering a tailored training program, individually planned around each participant’s skills, needs and any barriers they face, with a training and support plan built in consultation with the participant.
The employment stream’s $20,000 is designed to offset the real cost to a business of taking on and supporting a new trainee, apprentice, or graduate for their first 12 months, wages, supervision time, and the extra support that can come with someone’s first year in a role.
Key dates
The Place-Based Projects stream is currently open and closes 8 October 2026. If you’re considering this stream, that deadline is worth diarising now, since a strong application (particularly the training and support plan) takes real time to put together properly.
The Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Graduate Employment stream has no fixed closing date, it simply stays open until all funded positions for the round are allocated. In practice, that means applying earlier gives you a better chance, since places aren’t unlimited.
Documents you may need to prepare
For Place-Based Projects: your funding guidelines review, completion of the IWSDG eLearning course (a program requirement before applying), your application submitted via the Training and Skills Portal, and supporting documentation including a training and support plan built around your specific participants.
For the employment stream: a completed application form plus your supporting documents, including evidence of your ABN, GST registration, and industry classification.
Common mistakes to avoid
Don’t apply to the wrong stream. If you’re a training provider running a structured program, Place-Based Projects is the fit. If you’re an employer wanting help to hire one new person, the traineeship and employment stream is the right one, applying to the wrong stream wastes time on both sides.
Don’t hire before you’re approved. For the employment stream, the candidate must not already be employed by you when your application is assessed. Getting the sequence wrong here can disqualify an otherwise strong application.
Don’t underestimate the training and support plan. For Place-Based Projects, this needs to be genuinely individualised, built from an upfront skills assessment and developed with the participant’s input, not a generic template.
Don’t assume every business type qualifies for the employment stream. It’s restricted to specific priority industries unless you have an approved partnership arrangement, check the list before you invest time in an application.
How competitive is this grant likely to be?
The official page doesn’t publish applicant numbers or an approval rate, so we won’t invent a competitiveness estimate. What we can say plainly: Place-Based Projects funding is capped per project and tied to a fixed closing date, so it’s worth treating as a genuine competitive process, not a formality. The employment stream is more like a first-come, first-served allocation of a limited pool of $20,000 subsidies, so earlier applications are generally better positioned.
What to prepare before you apply
- Work out which stream fits. Are you running a training program, or hiring one new person? The two streams have different processes and different paperwork.
- Check your basic eligibility. Queensland base, ABN, GST registration, and (for Place-Based Projects) at least two years of operating history.
- Get your documentation ready early. Audited financial statements, governance documents, or a properly built training and support plan all take time to pull together.
- For the employment stream, don’t hire first. Line up your candidate, but hold off on formally employing them until your application has been assessed.
Related funding options for Queensland employers
If your business is looking more broadly at hiring incentives or Queensland grants beyond this specific program, it’s worth exploring employment incentives for employers, apprenticeship programs, and the wider range of Queensland business grants currently available. If you’re specifically focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business support, see our guide to Aboriginal business grants.
Not sure yet which type of grant actually fits your business? Grants Assist’s eligibility assessment tool is a good starting point to quickly narrow down realistic options based on your situation, rather than reading through dozens of individual grant pages one by one.
The bottom line
The Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant is a real, currently-open Queensland Government program offering up to $350,000 for structured Indigenous training projects (closing 8 October 2026), or $20,000 to help fund a new Indigenous trainee, apprentice or graduate placement (open on an ongoing basis). It’s part of a broader Closing the Gap employment commitment, so it’s a program worth keeping on your radar even outside this specific round.
Want to keep exploring your options? Grants Assist’s online portal gives you access to detailed, regularly updated information on grants and assistance programs across Australia. Explore the Grants Assist portal to browse more programs like this one, or call us on 1300-005-999 to speak with one of our advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much funding does the Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant offer?
Up to $350,000 for a 12-month Place-Based training project, or $20,000 to help fund a new trainee, apprentice or graduate placement for at least 12 months.
Who can apply for the Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant?
Queensland-based organisations and employers with an ABN and GST registration. Place-Based Projects require at least two years of continuous operation; the employment stream is open to employers in specific priority industries, or via an approved partnership arrangement for other business types.
When does the Indigenous Workforce and Skills Development Grant close?
Place-Based Projects close 8 October 2026. The Traineeships, Apprenticeships and Graduate Employment stream has no fixed closing date, it stays open until positions are allocated.
Can I apply if I’ve already hired the trainee or apprentice?
No. For the employment stream, the candidate must not already be employed by your organisation at the time your application is assessed.
What can the funding be used for?
Place-Based Project funding covers the cost of delivering a tailored training program at no cost to participants. The employment stream’s $20,000 helps offset the cost of employing and supporting a new Indigenous trainee, apprentice or graduate for their first 12 months.
