AUKUS and Housing Equipment and Capital Grants are a $3 million investment over three years by the South Australian Government to build the capability and capacity of TAFE SA and not-for-profit and industry-based providers who deliver courses aligned to the defence and construction sectors.
The grants support state-of-the-art training facilities, contemporary infrastructure and technology, and industry-relevant equipment that increases provider capacity to deliver high quality training that prepares skilled workers for work in the defence and construction sectors.
Grants with matched 1:1 funding which will support a shared investment with industry of up to $6 million.
Applications must be submitted by Friday 16 October 2026, 5pm (ACDT)
For information about applying for a 2025-26 Equipment and Capital Grant, please read the guidelines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Applications are invited from providers that meet the following eligibility criteria:
- have a current Funded Activities Agreement with Skills SA, AND
- deliver defence and/or construction and infra-structure related vocational education and training AND are not-for-profit AND/OR are an industry association (1), OR
- are TAFE SA.
Eligible providers can apply for one grant per sector stream.
Local, state and Australian Government entities are not eligible to apply.
If you have not received the application link for the grant and believe your organisation is eligible, please contact DSD.SkillsSAProjects@sa.gov.au.
[1] RTOs identified as ‘industry association’ as the training organisation type identifier published on training.gov.au.
Eligible providers can apply for one grant per sector stream. Skills SA has set an indicative value of up to $250,000 per grant sector stream with matched 1:1 applicant co-investment
Skills SA emailed a link to the application form to eligible organisations. If you have not received the application link for the grant and you believe your organisation is eligible, please contact DSD.SkillsSAProjects@sa.gov.au.
Yes, you can read the application form before you commence. The application page will allow you to start a submission, preview the form and download preview form.
No, you can move around the application and complete responses in any order. Ensure your application is complete before submitting, including attaching the budget template. Incomplete applications will be disadvantaged in assessment.
Eligible applications must identify 1:1 matched co-investment for the goods and services to be purchased. Applicants may also identify in-kind contributions associated with delivering the project’s outcomes and objectives. The value of co-investment will be considered as part of assessment and should reflect the benefits being realised.
Yes. You should separate and itemise the cost of equipment and associated freight charges in the budget template with your application and any quotes you provide.
Skills SA is seeking to understand what each grant activity is and how long each activity will take. For example, if you are seeking to re-fit a classroom, what are the activities you will undertake to complete the re-fit (e.g. new carpet) and how long will this take.
Please only attach the approved budget template and supporting quotes to the application. This supports a de-identified application process.
The assessment approach for AUKUS and Housing Equipment and Capital Grants is competitive. Applications will be de-identified and assessed against the assessment criteria published in the guidelines and will be conducted by senior Skills SA staff.
Applicants can partner with other organisations to support the development, supply and/or delivery of project elements as part of an application. In the application, applicants should identify the role and responsibilities of partner organisations, and how they will use the goods and/or services.
All grant activities must be finalised by 31 May 2027, unless otherwise negotiated with Skills SA. This includes the delivery of all activities, goods and services supported through the grant. Skills SA will work with successful organisations on the format of the grant final report, which may include site visits, an in-person presentation, financial and photographic evidence and/or written reports. Skills SA will seek an acquittal two months after the grant completion date.
If successful, Skills SA will negotiate a Grant Offer with your organisation, which will form the basis of an FAA Project Annexure. The FAA Project Annexure will contain payment and reporting milestones, key project dates, approved equipment and capital purchases and any other contracting requirements. Requests for variations may not be approved but will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Skills SA reserves the right to recover funding that is not used for the purpose of delivering the project.
The invoice/payment for approved equipment must be dated after the FAA has been executed by both parties. The organisation may wish to place an order earlier at their own discretion and risk.
You will be assigned a Skills SA project manager, who will regularly liaise with you about project and milestone activities and be involved in your project governance structure. Skills SA project managers will also support you to coordinate marketing, promotional and media opportunities, including visits by the Minister for Education, Training and Skills.
Skills SA will publish a list of AUKUS and Housing Equipment and Capital Grant projects at skills.sa.gov.au. Grant recipients can market and promote their funded activities in line with Section 22 of your Funded Activities Agreement. An assigned Skills SA project manager will support you to coordinate marketing, promotional and media activities between your organisation, Skills SA and the Minister for Education, Training and Skills.
Skills SA will undertake an evaluation of AUKUS and Housing Equipment and Capital Grants, which will consider the intended and actual outcomes. The evaluation will draw on qualitative and quantitative information provided by grant recipients, including contracted reporting and the final presentation to Skills SA.