AUR31520 is the nationally recognised Certificate III behind diesel motor mechanic work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced AUR31516. About 3,300 diesel motor mechanic jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 7.7% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate III in Automotive Diesel Engine Technology are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Diesel motor mechanics are in national shortage. Job ads in June 2026 were down 7.7% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer diesel motor mechanic jobs than a year ago. About 3,300 diesel motor mechanic jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 7.7% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 41,200 job ads, while 415 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.
Australia's official shortage list rates motor mechanic (general)s, diesel motor mechanics, motorcycle mechanics and small engine mechanics as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Motor Mechanic (General), Diesel Motor Mechanic, Motorcycle Mechanic and Small Engine Mechanic as in national shortage.
Diesel motor mechanic jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 111,202 workers in May 2025, 114,167 by May 2030 (up 2.7%) and 119,548 by May 2035 (up 7.5%).
Enrolments in the Certificate III in Automotive Diesel Engine Technology are steady. Across Australia, 425 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 415, down 2.4% in a year. National data for AUR31520 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for AUR31520 is being verified against official program lists.
Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.
The Certificate III in Automotive Diesel Engine Technology is 28 units: 14 core, plus 14 electives chosen from 32 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to 10 of them, marked below.
No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.
Browse coursesGet Course maps AUR31520 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3212) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: register training.gov.au, synced 14 September 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.