Earn and Learn brings your career goals within reach by addressing some of the top barriers to study.

For many Victorians, paying the mortgage and spending time with family must come before studying to make career moves. It’s an understandable act of prioritisation – even more so if you face particular barriers or challenges that make your goals harder to reach.

Earn and Learn is a vocational study program that aims to make study more accessible to more people. Through the program, you can work at councils in Victoria while you study, and you’ll graduate with a qualification from RMIT University, Victoria University, Swinburne University or Federation University.

Here are the top barriers that Earn and Learn addresses, and how the program can make your career goals more accessible.

#1: Qualifications and experience

Feeling ready to launch or change your career is already a big emotional journey. Once you’re there, having the right qualification and work experience are usually pre-requisites to landing that role you’re after.

If that journey sounds like standing at the foot of a mountain, Earn and Learn might be the way for you to lessen the overwhelm. Just like an apprenticeship or traineeship, you can complete your qualification while you work, gaining hands-on experience in the field you are studying.

For Elyse Maggiori, a return from maternity leave was the catalyst for her realisation that she wanted to move into management.

She upskilled with an Earn and Learn course in leadership delivered by RMIT University, with the goal of continuing her career path at the City of Ballarat.

“I was coming back from 13 months of maternity leave and was feeling a little lost. I was looking for something to help me get my confidence back,” she said.

“I was also trying to figure out my career path, and hence wanted to develop my leadership and mentoring skills.

“The course has provided me with a significant amount of knowledge and skills that are required to be a mentor and leader. I also have confidence that I have the ability to do that.”

#2: Time and cost of study

If you’ve worked out that studying is a key step in reaching your career goals, the next biggest barriers are usually the duration and cost of that study. Many courses demand part-time or full-time contact hours, and have study fees that you may not be able to afford.

Earn and Learn could take these barriers out of the equation. The program is delivered at councils across Victoria, and depending on the council you work with and the qualification you complete, you may be able to access:

• Study fee assistance, including partially or fully funded fees
• Flexible arrangements to balance work and study, such as study leave
• Recognition of prior learning that reduces your study time
• Pathways to further study that reduce the study time for future undergraduate or postgraduate degrees.

At her council, Elyse was able to access several supports that made it possible to achieve her goals, including study leave and flexible arrangements.

“The City of Ballarat is extremely supportive in providing staff the opportunity to attend additional training,” she said.

“As I did a face-to-face course, I was able to take the six required days away from work to attend the training. In addition to this, I was able to complete all my assessments during my work hours, which was really beneficial as I have a young family.”

#3: Returning to study

The idea of returning to an academic mindset can be daunting, even if you are confident in your own knowledge and abilities. You may also face additional challenges that could benefit from further support.

While you undertake your Earn and Learn qualification via RMIT, Swinburne, Federation University or Victoria University, you’ll also have access to the relevant university’s student support services, including:

• Equitable learning services for people with disability or neurodiversity
• English language support
• Culturally safe counselling for First Nations people
• Mental health counselling and psychological services
• Career advice and employability services.

Through Earn and Learn, you can also access the support of council mentors while you learn. You’ll build connections with your mentors and other students, and create a community that turns into your industry network.

#4: Financial and family commitments

Fitting study into a full-time working schedule and family life can feel like an impossible jigsaw puzzle. Traditional qualifications are usually delivered during working hours or in after-hours blocks, meaning you’d have to either sacrifice working hours or family and personal commitments to study.

Combining study and work through Earn and Learn means that you maximise your time and don’t have to sacrifice income or personal time. It also makes career goals more achievable for a more diverse group of people, including:

• Working parents or those caring for others
• People with a mortgage or other significant financial commitments
• First-in-family learners balancing multiple responsibilities.

#5: Future-proof path

Making the decision to change careers or transition into a new field isn’t easy. You want a career that’s not only enjoyable, but also somewhat future-proof in a workforce that’s ever changing.

Earn and Learn is being rolled out in areas that support exciting developments in local government. These fields are part of long-term workforce planning in Victorian councils, meaning they support key infrastructure projects, address emerging needs, or are core service divisions. In these fields, you have the unique opportunity to make an impact in the growth of Victoria’s cities and communities.

Examples of these fields include:

• IT
• Finance
• Building surveying
• Civil engineering
• Urban planning.

These are also areas experiencing employee shortages in council, so by entering these roles, you can secure a career path that has longevity and growth opportunities in local government.

For Elyse, a career at the City of Ballarat has provided personal growth opportunities, cross-council connections, and the support to pursue her goals.

“Working in local government provides you the opportunity to grow and develop, whilst having exposure to a number of different areas of the business.

“I have aspirations to move into a more senior leadership role and utilise my skills to help others to grow and develop.”

Ready to get started? Find an advertised job at a Victorian council and reach out to them to learn how you can start your own Earn and Learn journey.

Disclaimer: This program is only available to Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible domestic visa holders employed by a participating Victorian council. The content on this page was last updated and is accurate as of September 2026.

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