MEM31322Certificate IIICurrentMEM training package

MEM31322 Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

MEM31322 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. It prepares you for work as an airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic. It has been the current version on the national register since 2022, when it replaced MEM31319. Employers posted about 416 airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic jobs in June 2026, down 11.1% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 3 in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning · Register data synced 19 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
416last month
Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic roles advertised across Australia
Down on a year earlier
Long-term outlook
Mixed
One structural signal up; current job ads down
Register status
Current
Replaced MEM31319 in 2022
Enrolments
Steady
Down 2.7% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The signals behind the Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics are in national shortage. Job ads in June 2026 were down 11.1% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

Employers are posting fewer airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic jobs than a year ago. About 416 airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 11.1% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 6,100 job ads, while 720 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index · latest month June 2026 · ANZSCO 3421
416
Combined monthly online job ads across Airconditioning And Refrigeration Mechanic, to June 2026

Official shortage list

Australia's official shortage list rates airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic as in national shortage.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

Airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 29,234 workers in May 2025, 29,920 by May 2030 (up 2.3%) and 31,186 by May 2035 (up 6.7%).

29,234
workers, May 2025
29,920
workers, May 2030
31,186
workers, May 2035
Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections · May 2025 to May 2035
Occupation mapping by Get Course, shown with ANZSCO codes so it can be checked.
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning are steady. Across Australia, 740 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 720, down 2.7% in a year. National data for MEM31322 starts in 2023.

NCVER Total VET Activity · 2025 collection
training.gov.au · Australian Qualifications Framework

What does studying it involve?

The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.

How long it takes
A Certificate III is typically 1 to 2 years of full-time study under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Providers set the exact length and pace.
Delivery
Providers set the delivery mode.
Credit for experience
Recognition of prior learning applies to MEM31322 like any qualification on the national register: an approved provider assesses your evidence against each unit.
training.gov.au national register; Australian Qualifications Framework.
State subsidised training lists

What does it cost, and who funds it?

State funding for MEM31322 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.

Official state subsidised training program lists, verified per state. Full-fee prices will appear here as partner courses are listed.
training.gov.au · unit packaging

What is in the qualification

The register lists 12 core units for the Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, plus 52 elective options. Prerequisites apply to 61 of them, marked below.

  • MEM09002Interpret technical drawing (has prerequisites)
  • MEM11011Undertake manual handling (has prerequisites)
  • MEM12023Perform engineering measurements (has prerequisites)
  • MEM12024Perform computations (has prerequisites)
  • MEM13015Work safely and effectively in manufacturing and engineering
  • MEM14006Plan work activities (has prerequisites)
View all 12 core units
  • MEM16006Organise and communicate information (has prerequisites)
  • MEM16008Interact with computing technology (has prerequisites)
  • MEM17003Assist in the provision of on-the-job training (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18001Use hand tools (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18002Use power tools/hand held operations (has prerequisites)
  • MSMENV272Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
View the 52 elective options
  • MEM05001Perform manual soldering/desoldering - electrical/electronic components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM05003Perform soft soldering (has prerequisites)
  • MEM05005Carry out mechanical cutting (has prerequisites)
  • MEM05006Perform brazing and/or silver soldering (has prerequisites)
  • MEM05012Perform routine manual metal arc welding (has prerequisites)
  • MEM05050Perform routine gas metal arc welding (has prerequisites)
  • MEM07001Perform operational maintenance of machines/equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM07032Use workshop machines for basic operations (has prerequisites)
  • MEM09011Apply basic engineering design concepts (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10002Terminate and connect electrical wiring (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10003Install and test electrical wiring and circuits up to 1000 volts a.c. and 1500 volts d.c. (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10004Enter and change programmable controller operational parameters (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10005Commission programmable controller programs (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10009Install refrigeration and air conditioning plant and equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10010Install pipework and pipework assemblies (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10011Terminate and connect specialist cables (has prerequisites)
  • MEM10013Install split air conditioning systems and associated pipework (has prerequisites)
  • MEM11009Handle/move bulk fluids/gases (has prerequisites)
  • MEM11010Operate mobile load shifting equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM11016Order materials (has prerequisites)
  • MEM11022Operate fixed/moveable load shifting equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM12002Perform electrical/electronic measurement (has prerequisites)
  • MEM12004Perform precision electrical/electronic measurement (has prerequisites)
  • MEM13001Perform emergency first aid (has prerequisites)
  • MEM13003Work safely with industrial chemicals and materials (has prerequisites)
  • MEM13007Maintain water treatment systems for cooling towers (has prerequisites)
  • MEM13019Undertake work health and safety activities in the workplace
  • MEM15004Perform inspection (has prerequisites)
  • MEM16004Perform internal/external customer service (has prerequisites)
  • MEM16005Operate as a team member to conduct manufacturing, engineering or related activities (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18003Use tools for precision work (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18006Perform precision fitting of engineering components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18009Perform precision levelling and alignment of machines and engineering components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18011Shut down and isolate machines/equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18045Fault find and repair electrical equipment/components up to 250 volts single phase supply (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18046Fault find and repair electrical equipment/components up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c. (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18048Fault find and repair/rectify basic electrical circuits (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18049Disconnect/reconnect fixed wired equipment up to 1000 volts a.c./1500 volts d.c. (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18051Fault find and repair/rectify complex electrical circuits (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18055Dismantle, replace and assemble engineering components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18083Handle fluorocarbon refrigerants according to regulations (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18084Commission and decommission split air conditioning systems (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18085Install, service and repair domestic air conditioning and refrigeration appliances (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18086Test, recover, evacuate and charge refrigeration systems (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18087Service and repair domestic and light commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18088Maintain and repair commercial air conditioning systems and components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18089Maintain and repair central air handling systems (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18090Maintain and repair industrial refrigeration systems and components (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18091Maintain and repair multistage, cascade and/or ultra-cold industrial refrigeration systems (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18094Service and repair commercial refrigeration (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18095Maintain and repair cooling towers/evaporative condensers and associated equipment (has prerequisites)
  • MEM18096Maintain, repair/replace and adjust refrigerant flow controls and associated equipment (has prerequisites)
training.gov.au national register, MEM31322 release 1
Where to study

Where can I study MEM31322?

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 courses
How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps MEM31322 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3421) 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: NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 17 September 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 19 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.

About this page. Every number on this page shows its source and date. Register data synced 19 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au. Compiled by Get Course from public data sources. It is not provided or endorsed by any training organisation, and nothing here is advice about your individual situation. Statistics describe groups; your result depends on you. If you represent a training organisation and want to correct or add to this page, contact hello@getcourse.com.au.