PUA20119 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind lifeguard work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2019, when it replaced PUA21012. About 69 lifeguard jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 8% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue) are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Employment is projected to grow through 2035. Job ads in June 2026 were down 8% 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 fewer lifeguard jobs than a year ago. About 69 lifeguard jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 8% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,100 job ads, while 1,960 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 jockeys and lifeguards as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Jockey and Lifeguard as not in shortage.
Lifeguard jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 16,084 workers in May 2025, 17,121 by May 2030 (up 6.4%) and 18,128 by May 2035 (up 12.7%).
Certificate II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue) graduates do better than is typical at Certificate II level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 82.8% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $78,600, against $41,400 typical. 94.2% were satisfied with the training, against 91.4% 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 II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue) than a year ago. Across Australia, 2,270 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 1,960, down 13.7% in a year. National data for PUA20119 starts in 2020.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for PUA20119 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 Certificate II in Public Safety (Aquatic Rescue) is 8 units: 6 core, plus 2 electives chosen from 14 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to Two 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 PUA20119 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 4524) 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 IIs 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: employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.