PMB40121 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV behind plastics technician work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced PMB40116. About 1,163 plastics technician jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 10.8% on a year earlier.
The long-term signals behind the Certificate IV in Polymer Technology are positive, though current job advertising is below a year earlier. Plastics technicians are in shortage in parts of the country and employment is projected to grow through 2035. Job ads in June 2026 were down 10.8% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer plastics technician jobs than a year ago. About 1,163 plastics technician jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 10.8% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 15,200 job ads, while 25 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 fire protection equipment technicians as in shortage in parts of the country. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Fire Protection Equipment Technician as in shortage in regional areas; Diver, Interior Decorator, Optical Dispenser / Dispensing Optician, Optical Mechanic, Photographer's Assistant, Plastics Technician and Technicians and Trades Workers nec as not in shortage.
Plastics technician jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 24,860 workers in May 2025, 26,520 by May 2030 (up 6.7%) and 28,316 by May 2035 (up 13.9%).
Enrolments in the Certificate IV in Polymer Technology are steady. Across Australia, 25 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 25, up 0% in a year. National data for PMB40121 starts in 2022.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for PMB40121 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 1 core unit for the Certificate IV in Polymer Technology, plus 118 elective options. Prerequisites apply to 11 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 PMB40121 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3999) 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 6 September 2026; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.