TLI33221Certificate IIICurrentTLI training package

TLI33221 Certificate III in Terminal Train Driving

TLI33221 is the nationally recognised Certificate III in Terminal Train 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 TLI33215. Employers posted about 78 train driver jobs in June 2026, up 94.2% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 3 in Terminal Train Driving · Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
78last month
Train driver roles advertised across Australia
Up on a year earlier
Long-term outlook
Positive
Two structural signals up
Register status
Current
Replaced TLI33215 in 2021
Enrolments
Steady
Up 0% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The independent signals behind the Certificate III in Terminal Train Driving line up. 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. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

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 100 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index · latest month June 2026 · ANZSCO 7313
78
Combined monthly online job ads across Train Driver, to June 2026

Official shortage list

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.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

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%).

17,539
workers, May 2025
18,092
workers, May 2030
18,639
workers, May 2035
Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections · May 2025 to May 2035
Occupation mapping by Get Course, shown with ANZSCO codes so it can be checked.
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate III in Terminal Train Driving are steady. Across Australia, 100 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 100, up 0% in a year. National data for TLI33221 starts in 2022.

NCVER Total VET Activity · 2025 collection
training.gov.au · Australian Qualifications Framework

What does studying it involve?

The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.

How long it takes
A Certificate III is typically 1 to 2 years of full-time study under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Providers set the exact length and pace.
Delivery
Providers set the delivery mode.
Credit for experience
Recognition of prior learning applies to TLI33221 like any qualification on the national register: an approved provider assesses your evidence against each unit.
training.gov.au national register; Australian Qualifications Framework.
State subsidised training lists

What does it cost, and who funds it?

State funding for TLI33221 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.

Official state subsidised training program lists, verified per state. Full-fee prices will appear here as partner courses are listed.
training.gov.au · unit packaging

What is in the qualification

The Certificate III in Terminal Train Driving is 17 units: 9 core, plus 8 electives chosen from 32 options on the register.

  • TLIB0132Start up and shut down a single locomotive
  • TLIB2131Prepare train
  • TLIB3123Apply awareness of motive power unit fundamentals
  • TLIC0079Operate a motive power unit within defined limits
  • TLIC3027Stable a motive power unit
  • TLIF0008Apply safety critical communications in the rail environment
View all 9 core units
  • TLIF2010Apply fatigue management strategies
  • TLIF3058Apply safeworking rules and regulations to rail functions
  • TLIU2012Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
View the 32 elective options
  • HLTAID011Provide First Aid
  • TLIB0007Respond and rectify rail traffic autonomous operations
  • TLIB0013Apply knowledge of rail operation fundamentals in yards or sidings
  • TLIB0014Carry out a train roll-by inspection
  • TLIB0017Conduct a general train examination
  • TLIB0128Conduct pre-movement checks on motive power units
  • TLIB3018Conduct full train examination
  • TLIB3019Test train braking system
  • TLIB3021Conduct train roll-by inspection
  • TLIB3113Diagnose and rectify minor faults on motive power units and rolling stock
  • TLIB3118Apply awareness of railway fundamentals
  • TLIB4081Provision a motive power unit
  • TLIB4082Set up motive power units in multi-coupled consist
  • TLIC0005Close down rail traffic from autonomous operations
  • TLIC0006Set up rail traffic for autonomous operation
  • TLIC3017Shunt rolling stock
  • TLIC3048Shunt, couple and uncouple electric passenger trains
  • TLIC3082Operate a locomotive by portable remote control
  • TLIC4074Shunt, couple and uncouple rail vehicles
  • TLIE0002Process workplace documentation
  • TLIE0008Calculate mass, area and quantify dimensions
  • TLIE0009Carry out basic workplace calculations
  • TLIE2007Use communications systems
  • TLIF0015Recognise the impact of human capabilities/limitations on human performance in a rail environment
  • TLIF0020Safely access the rail corridor
  • TLIF2018Operate firefighting equipment
  • TLIF3085Apply local incident response procedures
  • TLIF3091Apply awareness of dangerous goods and hazardous materials requirements
  • TLIK2010Use infotechnology devices in the workplace
  • TLIL2048Prepare for train departure
  • TLIW2041Clip points and apply rail safety equipment
  • TLIW3026Operate stand alone signalling/point control equipment
training.gov.au national register, TLI33221 release 1
Same training package

What skill sets come from the TLI training package?

Safety Critical Communications Skill Set
TLISS00183 · skill set guide
Event Infrastructure Skill Set
TLISS00231 · skill set guide
Electric Track Welding Skill Set
TLISS00110 · skill set guide
Examining Concrete/Masonry Structures Skill Set
TLISS00111 · skill set guide
Road Safety Skill Set
TLISS00155 · skill set guide
Rail Operations Safeworking Skill Set
TLISS00230 · skill set guide
Where to study

Where can I study TLI33221?

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 courses
How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps TLI33221 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. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; 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; register synced 18 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.

About this page. Every number on this page shows its source and date. Register data synced 18 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au. Compiled by Get Course from public data sources. It is not provided or endorsed by any training organisation, and nothing here is advice about your individual situation. Statistics describe groups; your result depends on you. If you represent a training organisation and want to correct or add to this page, contact hello@getcourse.com.au.