SHB20216 is the nationally recognised Certificate II in Salon Assistant. It prepares you for work as a hair or beauty salon assistant. It has been the current version on the national register since 2016, when it replaced SIH20111. 6,075 people enrolled in 2025, up 2.6% on the year before.
The signals behind the Certificate II in Salon Assistant are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Employment is projected to grow through 2035. The official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Australia's official shortage list rates civil celebrants, body artists, first aid trainers, religious assistants and personal service workers necs as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Civil Celebrant, Body Artist, First Aid Trainer, Religious Assistant and Personal Service Workers nec as not in shortage.
Hair or beauty salon assistant jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 21,044 workers in May 2025, 22,071 by May 2030 (up 4.9%) and 23,456 by May 2035 (up 11.5%).
Certificate II in Salon Assistant graduates find work at the typical Certificate II rate, but earn less soon after training. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 78.2% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $28,900, against $41,400 typical. 91.5% 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 Salon Assistant are steady. Across Australia, 5,920 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 6,075, up 2.6% in a year.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SHB20216 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 Salon Assistant is 12 units: 8 core, plus 4 electives chosen from 9 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 SHB20216 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 4518) 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: NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.