TLI31421 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Light Rail Driving. It prepares you for work as a train driver. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced TLI31418. Employers posted about 78 train driver jobs in June 2026, up 94.2% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Certificate III in Light Rail Driving are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Train drivers are in shortage in parts of the country, employment is projected to grow through 2035 and job ads in June 2026 were up 94.2% on a year earlier. Enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Employers are posting more train driver jobs than a year ago. About 78 train driver jobs were advertised online in June 2026, up 94.2% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 900 job ads, while 200 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 train drivers as in shortage in parts of the country. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Train Driver as in shortage in regional areas; Tram Driver as not in shortage.
Train driver jobs are projected to grow. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 17,539 workers in May 2025, 18,092 by May 2030 (up 3.2%) and 18,639 by May 2035 (up 6.3%).
Certificate III in Light Rail Driving graduates do better than is typical at Certificate III level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 93.3% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate III result is 88%, across 105 qualifications. 94.3% were satisfied with the training, against 90.6% typical.
Enrolments in the Certificate III in Light Rail Driving are dropping fast. Across Australia, 320 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 200, down 37.5% in a year. National data for TLI31421 starts in 2023.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for TLI31421 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 Light Rail Driving is 16 units: 13 core, plus 3 electives chosen from 11 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 TLI31421 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 7313) 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: NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.