HLT54121 is the nationally recognised Diploma behind enrolled nurse work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced HLT54115. About 688 enrolled nurse jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 11.2% on a year earlier.
The long-term signals behind the Diploma of Nursing are positive, though current job advertising is below a year earlier. Enrolled nurses are in shortage in parts of the country, employment is projected to grow through 2035 and enrolments are rising. Job ads in June 2026 were down 11.2% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer enrolled nurse jobs than a year ago. About 688 enrolled nurse jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 11.2% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 8,900 job ads, while 29,315 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 enrolled nurses as in shortage in parts of the country. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Enrolled Nurse as in shortage in regional areas; Mothercraft Nurse as not in shortage.
Enrolled nurse jobs are projected to keep growing strongly. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 22,104 workers in May 2025, 24,451 by May 2030 (up 10.6%) and 26,808 by May 2035 (up 21.3%).
Diploma of Nursing graduates find work at the typical Diploma rate, but earn less soon after training. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 91.8% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Diploma result is 92%, across 34 qualifications. Median income after training was $57,300, against $63,250 typical. 87.1% 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.
Enrolments in the Diploma of Nursing are growing. Across Australia, 26,985 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 29,315, up 8.6% in a year. National data for HLT54121 starts in 2022.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for HLT54121 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.
Finishing the diploma is not the licence.
To work as an enrolled nurse you also register with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), and your course must be ANMAC accredited. Not every provider’s course is. Check your provider and course on ahpra.gov.au before you enrol.
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 HLT54121 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 4114) 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: Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 29 August 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.