RII40320 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV behind mine deputy work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced RII40315. About 580 mine deputy jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 4.4% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate IV in Underground Metalliferous Mining Operations are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Mine deputys are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. Enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Job ads for mine deputys are holding steady. About 580 mine deputy jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 4.4% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 6,900 job ads, while 65 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 metallurgical or materials technicians as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Metallurgical or Materials Technician as in national shortage; Maintenance Planner, Mine Deputy, Other Draftsperson and Building and Engineering Technicians nec as not in shortage.
Mine deputy jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 39,364 workers in May 2025, 41,886 by May 2030 (up 6.4%) and 43,950 by May 2035 (up 11.7%).
Fewer people are enrolling in the Certificate IV in Underground Metalliferous Mining Operations than a year ago. Across Australia, 75 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 65, down 13.3% in a year. National data for RII40320 starts in 2021.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for RII40320 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 Underground Metalliferous Mining Operations is 16 units: 8 core, plus 8 electives chosen from 28 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 RII40320 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3129) 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 19 September 2026; register synced 19 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.