SIT40521 is the nationally recognised Certificate IV in Kitchen Management. It prepares you for work as a chef. It has been the current version on the national register since 2022, when it replaced SIT40516. Employers posted about 2,544 chef jobs in June 2026, down 6.7% on a year earlier.
Several independent signals line up behind this qualification. Specifically: its occupations are rated in shortage in parts of the country, employment in its occupations is projected to grow through 2035 and national enrolments are rising. These are official statistics, not a promise about any individual's result.
Employers are advertising fewer of these roles than a year ago. Across Chef, about 2,544 jobs were advertised online in June 2026 (down 6.7% on a year earlier). Roughly 34,719 openings were advertised over the last 12 months, while 50,295 people enrolled in the qualification nationally in 2024. Enrolment counts people in training, not completions, so the two figures describe the pipeline and the market, not a job guarantee.
The official shortage list rates some of these occupations as in shortage in parts of the country. In the 2025 Occupation Shortage List assessment, Chef is rated in shortage in regional areas.
Employment in these occupations is projected to grow. Government projections put them at 124,900 workers in May 2025, 132,100 by May 2030 (up 5.8%) and 140,500 by May 2035 (up 12.5%).
People who complete this qualification tend to do better than is typical for a Certificate IV. In the latest national outcomes survey (2025), 93.1% were employed or in further study after training, against a Certificate IV median of 89.9% across 71 qualifications. Median income after training was $61,500, compared with $63,400 typical at this level. 95.3% were satisfied with the training, against 87.8% typical.
More people are choosing this qualification each year. National enrolments rose from 25,165 in 2023, to 50,295 in 2024 (up 99.9%).
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for SIT40521 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.
Providers listed on Get Course offering this qualification or its pathway. Enquire and the provider confirms details directly.
Train on the job and earn while you learn.
This SIT40521 Certificate IV in Kitchen Management is a nationally recognised qualification built for students ready to lead in commercial kitchens.
Get Course maps SIT40521 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 3513) 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 qualifications at the same level 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 2024 collection; register training.gov.au, synced 24 August 2026; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register synced 29 Aug 2026. Page last updated 30 Aug 2026.