Fitter and turner courses in Australia: Cert III, costs and where to study

The qualification

The qualification is the Certificate III in Engineering - Mechanical Trade (MEM30219). It was not superseded in the 2025 MEM Manufacturing and Engineering training package update. Instead it moved to Release 4, released 4 September 2025, which updated the electives. Check your provider is delivering the current release.

You need 96 points of units, including 33 points of core units. The rest are specialist units chosen to suit your job, which is how one qualification covers both fitting and machining. Providers often run it as a fitting stream, a machining stream or a combined fitting and machining stream.

What you will actually learn

• •Working safely in a workshop or plant, including isolation, under Work safely and effectively in manufacturing and engineering (MEM13015)
• •Reading engineering drawings and working out sizes, tolerances and materials
• •Precision measurement with micrometers, verniers and dial indicators, building on Perform engineering measurements (MEM12023)
• •Engineering maths for speeds, feeds, threads and tolerances
• •Using hand tools and power tools properly, and marking out parts
• •Lathe and milling work, from basic turning to more complex jobs, depending on your electives
• •Setting up and editing programs on CNC machines
• •Removing, fitting and diagnosing bearings
• •Precision fitting, assembly and dismantling of mechanical components
• •Maintaining mechanical drives, transmissions, hydraulic and pneumatic systems
• •Precision levelling and alignment of machines
• •Basic welding and thermal cutting for repairs

Year by year: how the training usually runs

Every employer and RTO runs it a bit differently, and completion is competency based, so this is a rough guide rather than a fixed timetable. Many providers finish the off-the-job training in about three years, with the rest of your term spent building experience and workplace evidence.

• •First year: at TAFE you do the core units like safety, drawings, measurement, maths and hand tools, plus basic machining and cutting. On the job you clean and strip parts, assist your tradie, learn isolations and do simple lathe and drill work under close supervision.
• •Second year: at TAFE you move into lathe and milling operations, bearings and mechanical drives. On the job you start changing bearings and seals, doing planned maintenance tasks and making simple parts with less hand-holding.
• •Third year: at TAFE you cover precision fitting, alignment, hydraulics, pneumatics and CNC. On the job you run your own work orders on routine jobs, help on breakdowns and shutdowns, and do more complex machining with checks from your tradie.
• •Fourth year: you finish any remaining units and your workplace evidence or logbook. On the job you work close to tradesperson level, often on your own for normal jobs, until your employer and RTO sign you off as competent.

How enrolment actually works

First you need an employer. Then you and your employer sign a training contract with the help of an Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider, who also checks what government support you are eligible for. The contract is registered with your state or territory training authority, and your employer chooses a TAFE or RTO to deliver the training.

The provider then enrols you, works out your training plan and electives with your employer, and books you into day release or block release classes. Some providers ask you to do a language, literacy and numeracy assessment first.

What it costs, state by state (as at October 2026)

Fees change often and depend on your age, concession status and how many units you do. These are the published figures we found as at October 2026. Always check the live page before you enrol.

• •NSW: fee-free for eligible NSW apprentices, including school-based apprentices, whose Smart and Skilled funded training starts before 30 June 2027. The NSW Government says this removes a student fee of up to $2,000.
• •VIC: subsidised under Skills First. Swinburne lists 2026 estimates of $6,450 for a Skills First subsidised place and $1,290 at the concession rate, with a full fee of $18,190. Other Victorian providers charge differently.
• •QLD: free for apprentices under 25 who start by 30 June 2027 under Free Apprenticeships for Under 25s, and MEM30219 shows as eligible on the Queensland Skills Gateway. If you are 25 or over, a student contribution fee applies, so check the live page with your provider.
• •WA: South Metropolitan TAFE lists it as a low fee course for eligible WA residents, capped at $400 a year for people aged 15 to 24 or with a concession, and $1,200 a year for everyone else.
• •SA: TAFE SA lists a subsidised fee of $2,619 to $3,950 and a concession fee of $1,624 to $2,450 over the course, depending on units.
• •TAS: TasTAFE offers subsidised rates for eligible learners under Skills Tasmania rules but publishes no course figure we could find. Check the live page.
• •ACT: the ACT AVETARS register shows User Choice funding of $9,200 for a new worker apprentice in 2026, which is paid to the training provider, but no student fee figure. When we checked, it listed no RTO approved to deliver MEM30219 under ACT User Choice, so talk to your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider about your options.
• •NT: Charles Darwin University lists a 2026 NT Government supported fee of $3,696 to $3,850, with a full fee of $15,379.20 to $16,020. Supported places are limited and some students are exempt.

Who pays

Even where there is a fee, you often should not be paying it out of your own pocket for long. The Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 (MA000010) has apprentice provisions that generally require employers to reimburse training fees and prescribed textbooks, with conditions such as satisfactory progress. Check the current clause on the Fair Work Ombudsman website or ask Fair Work if you are unsure.

Many larger employers, including mining companies, pay the provider directly. If you are on an enterprise agreement, check what it says. Ask about fees before you sign your training contract so there are no surprises.

Where to study

• •NSW: TAFE NSW runs MEM30219, including a fitting and machining option, at selected campuses
• •VIC: Swinburne (Wantirna), Victoria University and Federation University all list MEM30219
• •QLD: TAFE Queensland and other approved providers, which you can search on the Queensland Skills Gateway
• •WA: South Metropolitan TAFE (Rockingham and Thornlie) runs the fitting and machining stream, and Central Regional TAFE runs a fitting stream, with other WA TAFEs also delivering
• •SA: TAFE SA lists MEM30219, so check which campuses run your intake
• •TAS: TasTAFE delivers metal trades and engineering training, so check the live course list
• •ACT: check with your Apprenticeship Connect Australia provider and the ACT AVETARS register, as approved local providers can change
• •NT: Charles Darwin University (Casuarina), using two-week blocks over three years
• •Mining company programs such as Fortescue's and BHP's FutureFit Academy organise the training for their apprentices
• •To see every provider, search MEM30219 on training.gov.au and use the providers list for your state

Doing it without an apprenticeship

For most people, this is not a realistic option. MEM30219 is designed to be delivered through an apprenticeship with a mix of on-the-job and off-the-job training. TAFEs such as South Metropolitan TAFE and TAFE SA only enrol it with a training contract. Without real workplace experience you would not be able to show competency in most of the units anyway.

If you have years of experience as a machinist or maintenance worker but no trade papers, talk to an RTO about recognition of prior learning, which assesses your existing skills against the units. If you are new, the Certificate II in Engineering Pathways is the sensible pre-apprenticeship, and a good way to show employers you are serious.