SIR20216 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind sales assistant (general) work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2016, when it replaced SIR20212. About 8,334 sales assistant (general) jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 0.4% on a year earlier.
The independent signals behind the Certificate II in Retail Services are weak right now. Enrolments are falling. Weigh both sides.
Job ads for sales assistant (general)s are holding steady. About 8,334 sales assistant (general) jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 0.4% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 106,300 job ads, while 2,575 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.
Sales assistant (general) jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 569,429 workers in May 2025, 583,907 by May 2030 (up 2.5%) and 609,185 by May 2035 (up 7%).
Certificate II in Retail Services graduates do worse than is typical at Certificate II level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 66.3% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $33,600, against $41,400 typical. 87.7% 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.
Fewer people are enrolling in the Certificate II in Retail Services than a year ago. Across Australia, 2,990 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 2,575, down 13.9% in a year.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SIR20216 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 Retail Services is 12 units: 7 core, plus 5 electives chosen from 12 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 SIR20216 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 6211) 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: register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; 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; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.