CUA51020 is the nationally recognised Diploma behind film, television, radio and stage directors work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced CUA51015. About 58 film, television, radio and stage directors jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 23.2% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Diploma of Screen and Media are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Film, television, radio and stage directorses are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. Job ads in June 2026 were down 23.2% on a year earlier and enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer film, television, radio and stage directors jobs than a year ago. About 58 film, television, radio and stage directors jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 23.2% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 900 job ads, while 3,020 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 film and video editors as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Film and Video Editor as in national shortage; Art Director (Film, Television or Stage), Director (Film, Television, Radio or Stage), Director of Photography, Program Director (Television or Radio), Stage Manager, Technical Director, Video Producer and Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors nec as not in shortage.
Film, television, radio and stage directors jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 15,468 workers in May 2025, 16,970 by May 2030 (up 9.7%) and 18,429 by May 2035 (up 19.1%).
Diploma of Screen and Media graduates do worse than is typical at Diploma level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 73.6% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Diploma result is 92%, across 34 qualifications. Median income after training was $52,000, against $63,250 typical. 83.6% were satisfied with the training, against 89% typical. Income here is the survey median about six months after training. It includes part-time work, so it is not the full-time award rate.
Fewer people are enrolling in the Diploma of Screen and Media than a year ago. Across Australia, 3,605 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 3,020, down 16.2% in a year. National data for CUA51020 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for CUA51020 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 register lists 4 core units for the Diploma of Screen and Media, plus 128 elective options. 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 CUA51020 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 2123) 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 Diplomas 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: register training.gov.au, synced 17 September 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.