SIT20421 is the nationally recognised Certificate II behind kitchenhand work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2022, when it replaced SIT20416. About 722 kitchenhand jobs were advertised in June 2026, down 8.4% on a year earlier.
The long-term signals behind the Certificate II in Cookery are positive, though current job advertising is below a year earlier. Employment is projected to grow through 2035 and enrolments are rising. Job ads in June 2026 were down 8.4% on a year earlier. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting fewer kitchenhand jobs than a year ago. About 722 kitchenhand jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 8.4% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 10,200 job ads, while 18,745 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.
Kitchenhand jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 151,627 workers in May 2025, 156,635 by May 2030 (up 3.3%) and 164,967 by May 2035 (up 8.8%).
Certificate II in Cookery graduates do worse than is typical at Certificate II level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 75% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $32,500, against $41,400 typical. 91.4% 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 Cookery are growing. Across Australia, 17,690 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 18,745, up 6% in a year. National data for SIT20421 starts in 2022.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SIT20421 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 Cookery is 13 units: 7 core, plus 6 electives chosen from 19 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to 19 of them, marked below.
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 SIT20421 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 8513) 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 Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; register training.gov.au, synced 18 September 2026; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.