RII30220Certificate IIICurrentRII training package

RII30220 Certificate III in Underground Coal Operations

RII30220 is the nationally recognised Certificate III behind miner work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced RII30218. About 939 miner jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 22% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 3 in Underground Coal Operations · Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
939last month
Miner roles advertised across Australia
Up on a year earlier
Long-term outlook
Positive
Three structural signals up
Register status
Current
Replaced RII30218 in 2020
Enrolments
Rising
Up 9.3% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The independent signals behind the Certificate III in Underground Coal Operations line up. Miners are in national shortage, employment is projected to grow through 2035, enrolments are rising and job ads in June 2026 were up 22% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

Employers are posting more miner jobs than a year ago. About 939 miner jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 22% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 9,900 job ads, while 295 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index · latest month June 2026 · ANZSCO 7122
939
Combined monthly online job ads across Miner, to June 2026

Official shortage list

Australia's official shortage list rates drillers as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Driller as in national shortage; Miner as in shortage in regional areas; Shot Firer as not in shortage.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

Miner jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 64,127 workers in May 2025, 66,533 by May 2030 (up 3.8%) and 67,860 by May 2035 (up 5.8%).

64,127
workers, May 2025
66,533
workers, May 2030
67,860
workers, May 2035
Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections · May 2025 to May 2035
Occupation mapping by Get Course, shown with ANZSCO codes so it can be checked.
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate III in Underground Coal Operations are growing. Across Australia, 270 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 295, up 9.3% in a year. National data for RII30220 starts in 2021.

NCVER Total VET Activity · 2025 collection
training.gov.au · Australian Qualifications Framework

What does studying it involve?

The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.

How long it takes
A Certificate III is typically 1 to 2 years of full-time study under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Providers set the exact length and pace.
Delivery
Providers set the delivery mode.
Credit for experience
Recognition of prior learning applies to RII30220 like any qualification on the national register: an approved provider assesses your evidence against each unit.
training.gov.au national register; Australian Qualifications Framework.
State subsidised training lists

What does it cost, and who funds it?

State funding for RII30220 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.

Official state subsidised training program lists, verified per state. Full-fee prices will appear here as partner courses are listed.
training.gov.au · unit packaging

What is in the qualification

The register lists 3 core units for the Certificate III in Underground Coal Operations, plus 81 elective options. Prerequisites apply to Four of them, marked below.

  • RIIERR201EConduct fire team operations
  • RIIRIS301EApply risk management processes
  • RIIUND207EConduct underground lifting operations
View the 81 elective options
  • AURKTJ011Remove, inspect and fit earthmoving and off-the-road tyres
  • AURKTJ012Remove, inspect and fit earthmoving and off-the-road wheel and rim assemblies
  • RIIBLA202FSupport underground shotfiring operations
  • RIIBLA204EStore, handle and transport explosives in underground coal mines
  • RIIBLA302EConduct shotfiring operations in underground coal mines
  • RIICOM301ECommunicate information
  • RIIENV301EConduct atmospheric monitoring
  • RIIERR204EProvide aided rescue to endangered personnel
  • RIIERR301ERespond to work site incidents
  • RIIERR302ERespond to local emergencies and incidents
  • RIIERR303EOperate in self-contained regenerative oxygen breathing apparatus
  • RIIERR305EControl underground fires (has prerequisites)
  • RIIERR306EConduct underground searches
  • RIIERR307EExtricate casualties from underground incidents (has prerequisites)
  • RIIERR308EExtricate and transport people involved in incidents (has prerequisites)
  • RIIERR309DEstablish and operate from fresh air base
  • RIIERR405Control emergencies and critical situations
  • RIIERR406Provide support for rescue operations
  • RIIHAN201EOperate a forklift
  • RIIHAN208EPerform dogging
  • RIIHAN209EPerform basic rigging
  • RIIHAN210DPerform intermediate rigging operations
  • RIIHAN211DConduct basic scaffolding operations
  • RIIHAN212EConduct non-slewing crane operations
  • RIIHAN301EOperate elevating work platform
  • RIIHAN302DConduct intermediate scaffolding operations
  • RIIHAN305DOperate a gantry or overhead crane
  • RIIHAN307EOperate a vehicle loading crane
  • RIIMCU201DOperate power tram
  • RIIMCU202DConduct tracked vehicle/plant operations
  • RIIMCU203DConduct wheeled vehicle operations (non-articulated)
  • RIIMCU204DConduct wheeled vehicle operations (articulated)
  • RIIMCU206DInstall, maintain and recover gas drainage systems
  • RIIMCU207DInstall, maintain and recover electrical services
  • RIIMCU209EConduct roadway maintenance
  • RIIMCU210DConduct stonedusting operations
  • RIIMCU213EConduct feeder breaker operations
  • RIIMCU215DOperate longwall ancillary equipment
  • RIIMCU218Work safely with polymeric chemicals in underground coal mining
  • RIIMCU301EConduct specialised strata control operations
  • RIIMCU302FConstruct and maintain ventilation devices
  • RIIMCU303EConduct continuous miner operations
  • RIIMCU304EConduct shuttle car operations
  • RIIMCU305EConduct outburst mining operations
  • RIIMCU306EConduct shearer operations
  • RIIMCU307EConduct longwall face equipment operations
  • RIIMCU308EInstall and recover longwall equipment
  • RIIMCU309EOperate breaker line supports
  • RIIMCU310EConduct flexible conveyor train (FCT) operations
  • RIIMCU311EMonitor control processes
  • RIIMCU312Conduct polymeric chemical operations in underground coal mining
  • RIIMCU313Mix and pump polymeric chemicals in underground coal mining
  • RIIMCU314Transport and store polymeric chemicals in underground coal mining
  • RIIMCU401EConduct special roadway operations
  • RIIMPO208FOperate support equipment
  • RIIMPO304EConduct wheel loader operations
  • RIIMPO307EConduct wheel grader operations in underground mines
  • RIINHB304EConduct reverse circulation drilling operations
  • RIINHB310DConduct surface directional drilling
  • RIIPEO202EProvide deck support for conveyor-car high wall mining operations
  • RIIPEO207ECarry out conveyor system shift
  • RIIPEO208EExtend, retract and maintain conveyor componentry
  • RIIPEO301EConduct conveyor-car high wall mining operations
  • RIIQUA201EMaintain and monitor site quality standards
  • RIIRIS202ERespond to site based spills
  • RIISAM205ECut, weld and bend materials
  • RIISAM207EApply operational maintenance skills
  • RIISAM212EService mine plant and equipment
  • RIISAM301FTest operational functions of vehicles and equipment
  • RIISAM304EInstall, commission and maintain major conveyor equipment and systems
  • RIISAM315AManage tyre, wheel and rim assembly applications (has prerequisites)
  • RIIUND201DInstall, maintain and recover reticulation systems
  • RIIUND205ERespond to a workforce incident
  • RIIUND208EConduct skip operations
  • RIIUND209EOperate automated winder
  • RIIUND301EOperate manual winder
  • RIIUND302EConduct cage operations
  • RIIUND303EOperate winder for shaft sinking
  • RIIVEH201EOperate a light vehicle
  • RIIVEH202FOperate a medium vehicle
  • RIIWHS301EConduct safety and health investigations
training.gov.au national register, RII30220 release 4
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Where to study

Where can I study RII30220?

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 courses
How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps RII30220 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 7122) 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; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register training.gov.au, synced 18 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.

About this page. Every number on this page shows its source and date. Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au. Compiled by Get Course from public data sources. It is not provided or endorsed by any training organisation, and nothing here is advice about your individual situation. Statistics describe groups; your result depends on you. If you represent a training organisation and want to correct or add to this page, contact hello@getcourse.com.au.