support to study

A variety of scholarships, fully funded student places and fee exemptions are available to students studying with Mental Health Coordinating Council Learning and Development.

Peer work Student Scholarships

If you are currently employed as a peer support worker and living or working in NSW, you may be eligible for a funded scholarship place in one of our certificate courses, including the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work or the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work – Fast Track.

Scholarships provide the opportunity for people currently employed as a peer support worker in the mental health and community sector to gain a formal qualification in Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work. MHCC provides scholarships under programs funded by the NSW Ministry of Health, the Mental Health Commission of NSW and Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

The scholarships aim to develop the peer workforce to meet the evolving needs of the mental health sector.

You will need to meet selection criteria to be eligible for the Australian Government’s Mental Health Peer Work Scholarship Program.

Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work Scholarship Eligibility 

CHC43515 Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work – Standard Course 

To be eligible for a Standard 12-month course scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:  

• be 18 years old or older 
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a holder of a permanent residence visa, or a migrant, refugee or asylum seeker holding a temporary or bridging visa providing work and/or study rights 
• no longer be in school, in accordance with the relevant State’s school leaving requirements 
• students at the time of application that are not in receipt of another Commonwealth or State/Territory bursary or scholarship 
• have lived experience of a mental health condition as a consumer or carer 
• ability to secure a paid or unpaid work placement opportunity in a mental health consumer/carer peer worker role in NSW with a mental health service provider prior to enrolling in the course (this can be existing employment, or a work placement sourced by the student) * 
• have a workplace supervisor or manager willing to provide evidence of the students’ competency in the units/qualification as part of work placement 
• be able to meet the attendance and study requirements to complete the peer work course. 

* please contact MHCC for more details and support in how to obtain this 

CHC43515 Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work – Fast Track Course 

To be eligible for a Fast Track course scholarship, you must meet the following criteria: 

• have spent the last two years working (paid or unpaid) in an identified mental health consumer peer worker or carer peer worker role providing direct ongoing support to other consumers as part of day-to-day work 
• have a workplace supervisor or manager willing to provide evidence of the students’ competency in the units/qualification 
• be 18 years old or older 
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or a holder of a permanent residence visa, or a migrant, refugee or asylum seeker holding a temporary or bridging visa providing work and/or study rights 
• no longer be in school, in accordance with the relevant State’s school leaving requirements 
• students at the time of application that are not in receipt of another Commonwealth or State/Territory bursary or scholarship 
• be able to meet the attendance and study requirements to complete the peer work course. 

To find out more, contact our training team at training@mhcc.org.au or call us on 02 9060 9630

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Smart and Skilled Funding

Depending on your previous qualifications and experience you may qualify for subsidised fees or fee exemptions through the Smart and Skilled program.

Subsidised fees or fee exemptions are offered to students in the Certificate IV in Mental Health and Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work.

Smart and Skilled is offered through the NSW Vocational Education and Training system to help people find a job and advance their careers. For information on eligibility and conditions for Smart and Skilled training go here.

To find out more contact our training team at training@mhcc.org.au or call us on 02 9060 9630. 

Smart and Skilled fee schedule

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Traineeships

Traineeships combine work-based training with formal training from a registered training provider.

Contact us at training@mhcc.org.au to arrange for an apprenticeship network provider representative to come out to your workplace to assess your eligibility and complete the relevant paperwork to sign you up as a Trainee.

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Member discounts

Staff from member organisations of Mental Health Coordinating Council are entitled to generous discounts on our short courses, professional development and online training.

Find out more about the other benefits of membership.

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Further information

Our training team can help you with questions you may have on scholarship opportunities, fees exemptions and how to get through the enrolment process.

Contact the team at training@mhcc.org.au or call us on 02 9060 9630. 

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