RII31619 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Trenchless Technology. It prepares you for work as an earthmoving plant operator (general). It has been the current version on the national register since 2020, when it replaced RII31615. Employers posted about 1,255 earthmoving plant operator (general) jobs in June 2026, up 9.5% on a year earlier.
The signals behind this qualification are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Specifically: its main occupation is rated in national shortage and national enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employers are advertising more of these roles than a year ago. Across Earthmoving Plant Operator (General), about 1,255 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (up 9.5% on a year earlier). Roughly 14,668 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 45 people enrolled in the qualification nationally in 2024. Enrolment counts people in training, not completions, so the two figures describe the pipeline and the market, not a job guarantee.
At least one occupation this qualification leads to is officially rated as in national shortage. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Bulldozer Operator, Excavator Operator, Grader Operator and Loader Operator are rated in national shortage; Earthmoving Plant Operator (General) is rated in shortage in regional areas; Backhoe Operator is rated not in shortage.
Employment in these occupations is projected to stay about flat. Government projections put them at 48,600 workers in May 2025, 49,200 by May 2030 (up 1.2%) and 50,700 by May 2035 (up 4.3%).
Fewer people are training in this qualification than a year earlier. National enrolments fell from 55 in 2023, to 45 in 2024 (down 18.2%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for RII31619 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.
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 RII31619 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. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all qualifications at the same level 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: Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2024 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register training.gov.au, synced 24 August 2026; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.