RII20920 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind driller's assistant work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced RII20915. About 100 driller's assistant jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 11.1% on a year earlier.
The independent signals behind the Certificate II in Drilling Operations are weak right now. The official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage. Weigh both sides.
Employers are posting more driller's assistant jobs than a year ago. About 100 driller's assistant jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 11.1% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,200 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 crane chasers as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Crane Chaser as not in shortage.
Driller's assistant jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 7,896 workers in May 2025, 7,864 by May 2030 (down 0.4%) and 7,973 by May 2035 (up 1%).
Certificate II in Drilling Operations graduates do better than is typical at Certificate II level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 90.7% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $65,300, against $41,400 typical. 91.4% 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.
Enrolments in the Certificate II in Drilling Operations are steady. Across Australia, 1,875 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 1,960, up 4.5% in a year. National data for RII20920 starts in 2020.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for RII20920 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 Drilling Operations is 12 units: 8 core, plus 4 electives chosen from 37 options on the register.
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 RII20920 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 8219) 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; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register training.gov.au, synced 18 September 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.