MST20319 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind hide and skin processing machine operator work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced MST20316. About 13 hide and skin processing machine operator jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 2.6% on a year earlier.
The signals behind this qualification are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Specifically: national enrolments are rising and the official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employer demand for these roles is holding steady. Across Hide And Skin Processing MacHine Operator, about 13 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (up 2.6% on a year earlier). Roughly 173 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 95 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.
None of the occupations this qualification leads to is rated as in shortage on the official list. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Footwear Production Machine Operator, Hide and Skin Processing Machine Operator, Knitting Machine Operator, Textile Dyeing and Finishing Machine Operator, Weaving Machine Operator, Yarn Carding and Spinning Machine Operator and Textile and Footwear Production Machine Operators nec are rated not in shortage.
Employment in these occupations is projected to stay about flat. Government projections put them at 1,700 workers in May 2025, 1,700 by May 2030 (down 0.8%) and 1,700 by May 2035 (up 3.4%).
Enrolments in this qualification are growing. National enrolments rose from 80 in 2023, to 95 in 2024 (up 18.8%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for MST20319 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.
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 MST20319 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 7117) 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: register training.gov.au, synced 24 August 2026; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2024 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.