RII40120 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV behind safety inspector work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced RII40115. About 138 safety inspector jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 7.8% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Employment is projected to grow through 2035 and enrolments are rising. Job ads in June 2026 were down 7.8% on a year earlier and the official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer safety inspector jobs than a year ago. About 138 safety inspector jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 7.8% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,600 job ads, while 760 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 safety inspectors as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Safety Inspector as not in shortage.
Safety inspector jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 7,383 workers in May 2025, 7,781 by May 2030 (up 5.4%) and 8,170 by May 2035 (up 10.7%).
More people are choosing the Certificate IV in Surface Extraction Operations every year. Across Australia, 475 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 760, up 60% in a year. National data for RII40120 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for RII40120 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 IV in Surface Extraction Operations is 13 units: 4 core, plus 9 electives chosen from 58 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 RII40120 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3126) 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; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register training.gov.au, synced 5 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.