PMA30120 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Process Plant Operations. It prepares you for work as a chemical plant operator. It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced PMA30116. Employers posted about 55 chemical plant operator jobs in June 2026, up 23.9% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate III in Process Plant Operations are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Employment is projected to grow through 2035 and job ads in June 2026 were up 23.9% on a year earlier. The official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage and enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting more chemical plant operator jobs than a year ago. About 55 chemical plant operator jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 23.9% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 600 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.
Australia's official shortage list rates chemical plant operators, gas or petroleum operators and power generation plant operators as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Chemical Plant Operator, Gas or Petroleum Operator and Power Generation Plant Operator as not in shortage.
Chemical plant operator jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 9,539 workers in May 2025, 9,923 by May 2030 (up 4%) and 10,405 by May 2035 (up 9.1%).
Certificate III in Process Plant Operations graduates do better than is typical at Certificate III level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 94.9% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate III result is 88%, across 105 qualifications. Median income after training was $102,800, against $54,000 typical. 91.5% were satisfied with the training, against 90.6% 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 Certificate III in Process Plant Operations than a year ago. Across Australia, 970 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 720, down 25.8% in a year. National data for PMA30120 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for PMA30120 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 5 core units for the Certificate III in Process Plant Operations, plus 174 elective options. Prerequisites apply to 15 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 PMA30120 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3992) 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 Certificate IIIs 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: Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register training.gov.au, synced 5 September 2026; register synced 19 Sept 2026. Page last updated 20 Sept 2026.