SHB30321Certificate IIICurrentSHB training package

SHB30321 Certificate III in Nail Technology

SHB30321 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Nail Technology. It prepares you for work as a beauty therapist. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced SHB30315. Employers posted about 340 beauty therapist jobs in June 2026, down 3.6% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 3 in Nail Technology · Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
340last month
Beauty therapist roles advertised across Australia
Holding close to last year's level
Long-term outlook
Positive
Two structural signals up
Register status
Current
Replaced SHB30315 in 2021
Enrolments
Steady
Down 2.8% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The independent signals behind the Certificate III in Nail Technology line up. Beauty therapists are in national shortage and employment is projected to grow through 2035. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

Job ads for beauty therapists are holding steady. About 340 beauty therapist jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 3.6% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 4,400 job ads, while 1,750 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 4511
340
Combined monthly online job ads across Beauty Therapist, to June 2026

Official shortage list

Australia's official shortage list rates beauty therapists as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Beauty Therapist as in national shortage.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

Beauty therapist jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 39,264 workers in May 2025, 40,927 by May 2030 (up 4.2%) and 43,410 by May 2035 (up 10.6%).

39,264
workers, May 2025
40,927
workers, May 2030
43,410
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 Student Outcomes

How graduates do

Certificate III in Nail Technology graduates do worse than is typical at Certificate III level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 75.7% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate III result is 88%, across 105 qualifications. Median income after training was $37,300, against $54,000 typical. 81.9% were satisfied with the training, against 90.6% 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.

75.7%
employed or in further study after training (2025)
typical 88% across 105 Certificate IIIs
$37,300
median income after training (2025)
typical $54,000 across 85 Certificate IIIs
81.9%
satisfied with the training (2025)
typical 90.6% across 105 Certificate IIIs
Level benchmarks are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IIIs in the same collection, not official NCVER benchmarks.
NCVER Student Outcomes · 2025 survey
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate III in Nail Technology are steady. Across Australia, 1,800 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 1,750, down 2.8% in a year. National data for SHB30321 starts in 2022.

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 SHB30321 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 SHB30321 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 Certificate III in Nail Technology is 15 units: 10 core, plus 5 electives chosen from 8 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to Four of them, marked below.

  • SHBBCCS005Advise on beauty products and services
  • SHBBNLS007Provide manicure and pedicare services (has prerequisites)
  • SHBBNLS009Apply acrylic nail enhancements (has prerequisites)
  • SHBBNLS010Apply nail art (has prerequisites)
  • SHBBNLS011Use electric file equipment for nail services
  • SHBBRES003Research and apply beauty industry information
View all 10 core units
  • SHBXCCS007Conduct salon financial transactions
  • SHBXCCS008Provide salon services to clients
  • SHBXIND003Comply with organisational requirements within a personal services environment
  • SHBXWHS003Apply safe hygiene, health and work practices
View the 8 elective options
  • BSBESB304Determine resource requirements for new business ventures
  • BSBESB401Research and develop business plans
  • BSBESB404Market new business ventures
  • BSBESB406Establish operational strategies and procedures for new business ventures
  • BSBESB407Manage finances for new business ventures
  • HLTINF005Maintain infection prevention for skin penetration treatments
  • SHBBINF002Maintain infection control standards
  • SHBBNLS012Apply advanced nail art (has prerequisites)
training.gov.au national register, SHB30321 release 1
Where it gets used

What careers does this lead to?

Nail Art and Design Courses
Compare Nail Art and Design courses
Where to study

Where can I study SHB30321?

Providers listed on Get Course offering this qualification or its pathway. Enquire and the provider confirms details directly.

How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps SHB30321 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 4511) 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 IIIs 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: register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; 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 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.