RII20720 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind earthmoving plant operators work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced RII20715. About 1,255 earthmoving plant operators jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 9.5% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate II in Civil Construction are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Earthmoving plant operatorses are in national shortage and job ads in June 2026 were up 9.5% on a year earlier. Enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting more earthmoving plant operators jobs than a year ago. About 1,255 earthmoving plant operators jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 9.5% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 14,700 job ads, while 1,140 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 bulldozer operators, excavator operators, grader operators and loader operators as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Bulldozer Operator, Excavator Operator, Grader Operator and Loader Operator as in national shortage; Earthmoving Plant Operator (General) as in shortage in regional areas; Backhoe Operator as not in shortage.
Earthmoving plant operators jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 48,644 workers in May 2025, 49,231 by May 2030 (up 1.2%) and 50,734 by May 2035 (up 4.3%).
Fewer people are enrolling in the Certificate II in Civil Construction than a year ago. Across Australia, 1,480 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 1,140, down 23% in a year. National data for RII20720 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for RII20720 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 Civil Construction is 16 units: 10 core, plus 6 electives chosen from 27 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 RII20720 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 7212) 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: Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 18 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.