CHC53215 is the nationally recognised Diploma of Alcohol and Other Drugs. It prepares you for work as a drug and alcohol counsellor. It has been the current version on the national register since 2015, when it replaced CHC50212. Employers posted about 424 drug and alcohol counsellor jobs in June 2026, down 18.1% on a year earlier.
Several independent signals line up behind this qualification. Specifically: its main occupation is rated in national shortage, employment in its occupations is projected to grow through 2035 and national enrolments are rising. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employers are advertising fewer of these roles than a year ago. Across Drug And Alcohol Counsellor, about 424 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (down 18.1% on a year earlier). Roughly 5,639 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 820 people enrolled in the qualification nationally in 2024. Enrolment counts people in training, not completions, so the two figures describe the pipeline and the market, not a job guarantee.
At least one occupation this qualification leads to is officially rated as in national shortage. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Rehabilitation Counsellor is rated in national shortage; Careers Counsellor, Drug and Alcohol Counsellor, Family and Marriage Counsellor, Student Counsellor and Counsellors nec are rated not in shortage.
Employment in these occupations is projected to keep growing strongly. Government projections put them at 34,000 workers in May 2025, 38,500 by May 2030 (up 13%) and 42,000 by May 2035 (up 23.4%).
More people are choosing this qualification each year. National enrolments rose from 555 in 2023, to 820 in 2024 (up 47.7%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for CHC53215 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.
Providers listed on Get Course offering this qualification or its pathway. Enquire and the provider confirms details directly.
Get Course maps CHC53215 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 2721) 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. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all qualifications at the same level in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: NCVER Total VET Activity 2024 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 19 August 2026; 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 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.