Qualified in a year, employed in three months
Aurora Institute is a registered training organisation in Newcastle delivering nationally recognised diplomas in cyber security, renewable energy and enrolled nursing.
We publish completion and employment rates for every course. Most providers don't, and it's the only number that tells a prospective student anything useful.
Get people into skilled work in a year, without debt where we can avoid it.
A Hunter region that trains for the industries actually arriving, not the ones that left.
Published outcomes. No commission-based recruitment. And we tell applicants when a course is wrong for them, even when we have places to fill.
Skilled shortages in cyber, renewables and nursing are regional as much as national. Training locally, with placements at local employers, means graduates stay — 74% of ours are still working in the Hunter two years later.
Every course reserves four places for students from equity backgrounds with a support bursary attached, funded from our surplus rather than from fees.
Aurora Institute collects only what it needs to do the work, keeps it for three years, and anonymises rather than deletes so the record of what happened survives the person leaving.
A complaint reaches the owner the same day. You get an answer within two working days and a named person who owns it until it is closed.
The Newcastle RTO that publishes its completion and employment rates.
Adults moving into cyber or renewables from another field.
Organisations training existing staff into shortage roles.
Talk through eligibility, funding, prior learning and whether the course is right for you. Free.
Recognition of prior learning against unit requirements — can cut a diploma by a term.
Cohort delivery on site for employers training four or more staff.
48 weeks full-time. Blue team focus, industry placement in the final term.
52 weeks. Solar design, battery systems and grid connection, with CEC pathway.
18 months including 400 clinical placement hours across two health districts.
26 weeks, evenings. A pathway into the diploma or a standalone credential.
Six weeks, weekends. For licensed electricians adding battery capability.
Twenty years in vocational education, previously head of a TAFE faculty.
Ran a security operations centre for eight years before teaching.
| Year 12 or equivalent | Yes — Plus a language and numeracy assessment. No ATAR used. |
|---|---|
| Nursing — immunisation, police check, WWCC | Yes — Required before placement, not before enrolment |
| Smart and Skilled fee-free — Cyber | Yes — Eligible NSW students |
| Subsidised places — Renewable and Nursing | Yes — Means and residency tested |
| International students | Yes — CRICOS 03881G — student visa holders |
| Recognition of prior learning | Yes — Can reduce a diploma by a term |
| Site | Honeysuckle campus, Newcastle |
|---|---|
| Site | Simulated SOC lab |
| Service area | Hunter Region (60km radius) |
"Cyber diploma. Had a job offer in week 34 of a 48-week course. The industry placement did it."
"Smart and Skilled covered the whole diploma. Nobody tried to sell me a loan."
| Payments | Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Apple Pay, Bank transfer |
| Languages | English |
| Area served | Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Hunter Region, Nationwide |
| Cancellation | Free to change or cancel up to 24 hours before. Inside that, the deposit is kept. |
| Warranty | Anything we get wrong, we put right at our own cost. |
The Cyber Security diploma is fee-free for eligible NSW students under Smart and Skilled. Renewable Energy and Nursing are subsidised for many. Bring your circumstances to a free advice session and we'll tell you exactly what you'd pay.
Year 12 or equivalent for the diplomas, plus a language and numeracy assessment. Nursing also requires immunisation, a police check and a Working With Children Check. No ATAR is used.
Cyber 81%, Renewable Energy 78%, Nursing 86%. We publish them because most providers don't, and the number tells you more than a brochure.
Four a year — February, May, August and November. Nursing runs February and August only because of placement scheduling.
| Monday | 08:30-17:00 |
| Tuesday | 08:30-17:00 |
| Wednesday | 08:30-17:00 |
| Thursday | 08:30-17:00 |
| Friday | 08:30-16:30 |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
Have a booking or an order? Sort it out here — you'll need your reference.
Eligibility, funding and whether the course suits you.
Not an ATAR, and not a barrier for most people.
Including what you'd actually pay.
February, May, August or November.