SIT31021 is the nationally recognised Certificate III behind pastrycook work. It has been the current version on the national register since 2022, when it replaced SIT31016. About 409 pastrycook jobs were advertised in June 2026, up 9.8% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate III in Patisserie are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Pastrycooks are in national shortage and job ads in June 2026 were up 9.8% on a year earlier. Enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting more pastrycook jobs than a year ago. About 409 pastrycook jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 9.8% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 4,600 job ads, while 2,895 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 bakers as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Baker as in national shortage; Pastrycook as in shortage in regional areas.
Pastrycook jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 34,272 workers in May 2025, 35,285 by May 2030 (up 3%) and 37,030 by May 2035 (up 8%).
Certificate III in Patisserie graduates find work less often than is typical at Certificate III level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 81.4% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate III result is 88%, across 105 qualifications. 86.8% were satisfied with the training, against 90.6% typical.
Fewer people are enrolling in the Certificate III in Patisserie than a year ago. Across Australia, 3,100 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 2,895, down 6.6% in a year. National data for SIT31021 starts in 2022.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SIT31021 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 III in Patisserie is 21 units: 15 core, plus 6 electives chosen from 21 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to 22 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 SIT31021 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3511) 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 3 September 2026; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; 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.