A nationally recognised qualification on the National Register of vocational education and training. This page answers the questions that actually decide whether it is worth your time and money: is the work there, what happens to people who finish, who pays, and who you could study it with. Every figure carries its source and date.
Often searched as Cert 2 in Printing and Graphic Arts. It prepares people for work as printer's assistant.
This is the current version of the qualification on the national register. It replaced ICP20115, whose currency ended on 4 May 2020.
The independent signals behind this qualification are weak right now. Specifically: the official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage, employment in its occupations is projected to decline and national enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Three official signals crossed: live job advertisements, the national training pipeline, and government employment projections.
Employers are advertising fewer of these roles than a year ago. Across Printer's Assistant, about 77 jobs were advertised online in May 2026 (down 12.8% on a year earlier). Roughly 966 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 170 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.
Enrolments in this qualification are falling sharply. National enrolments fell from 245 in 2023, to 170 in 2024 (down 30.6%).
Employment in these occupations is projected to decline. That matters more than any marketing claim. Government projections put them at 2,500 workers in May 2025, 2,400 by May 2030 (down 4.4%) and 2,500 by May 2035 (down 0.1%).
Outcomes for this specific qualification, each anchored against what is typical at the same qualification level nationally.
The three wallets: a subsidised seat, paying full fee, and the time commitment that decides whether you can keep working.
Subsidy programs change and have eligibility rules. The official listing linked above is the source of truth; no dollar amounts are shown here because they vary by person and provider.
Fees for unsubsidised places are set by each training provider and vary widely. Provider pricing, intakes and payment options live on the individual course pages linked below, never on this page.
The crossing no single dataset can give you: official shortage status, subsidy availability and training demand, read together.
The independent signals behind this qualification are weak right now. Specifically: the official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage, employment in its occupations is projected to decline and national enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
None of the occupations this qualification leads to is rated as in shortage on the official list. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Printer's Assistant and Printing Table Worker are rated not in shortage.
Approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. Start with who is approved, then compare actual courses.
The five questions people actually ring up and ask, answered only where official data backs the answer.