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

The qualification: Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR30620)

The national qualification for light vehicle mechanics is AUR30620 Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology. As at September 2026 it is the current code on training.gov.au, where it superseded the older AUR30616. The automotive training package gets updated regularly (a new release landed in mid 2026), so double check the code is still current on training.gov.au before you sign anything.

The Cert III covers 36 units: 20 core and 16 electives. You learn to service, diagnose and repair cars and light vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes: engines, transmissions, brakes, steering, suspension and the electrical and electronic systems that run modern cars.

The nominal duration as an apprenticeship is 4 years, but completion is competency based. If you can prove you are competent, you can finish early. Prior experience or a pre-apprenticeship can also knock time off.

What you will actually learn

AUR30620 is 36 units of competency: 20 core plus 16 electives. Strip the jargon away and it is the full recipe for pulling a car apart, working out what is wrong and putting it back together properly. Here is what you actually do with your hands.

• •Start with the workshop basics: safe work practices, hoists, jacks and stands, and how to use and look after every tool in the box without hurting yourself or scratching a customer's car.
• •Carry out full services: oil and filter changes, fluid checks, tyre rotations and inspections, working through a service sheet like a pro so nothing gets missed.
• •Test, charge and replace batteries, jump-start dead vehicles, and fix basic electrical circuits: blown fuses, dodgy earths, lights that will not light.
• •Inspect and service engines, then move up to diagnosing and repairing them: compression tests, leak downs, timing, and tearing down a donk to see what is actually inside it.
• •Do brakes properly: service braking systems, then diagnose and repair hydraulic brake faults, from pads and rotors to master cylinders and bleeding the system.
• •Diagnose and repair steering and suspension: worn ball joints, shot shocks, steering that pulls or wanders, and getting a car to drive straight and sit right.
• •Sort cooling systems and fuel systems: pressure test for leaks, replace water pumps and thermostats, and service petrol fuel systems so engines run cool and clean.
• •Get into clutches, manual and automatic transmissions, drive shafts and final drives, depending on your electives: the whole driveline from engine to wheels.
• •Plug in a scan tool and learn real diagnostics: units like AURTTA118 (develop and carry out diagnostic test strategies) and AURETR123 (spark ignition engine management) teach you to chase electronic faults with live data instead of guessing.
• •Diagnose charging systems, instruments, warning lights and electronic body management: the computer and sensor side of modern cars where the good money lives.
• •Where your RTO packages them, do hybrid and EV awareness units like AURETH101 (depower and reinitialise battery electric vehicles), so high voltage cars do not scare you off later.

Year by year: how the training usually runs

Every employer and RTO runs this a bit differently, and the whole thing is competency based: you finish when you can prove you can do the work, not when a calendar says so. Plenty of quick learners sign off early. Treat this as the typical shape of a four year light vehicle apprenticeship, not a promise.

• •First year: at trade school (usually day release or week-long blocks) you cover safety, tools and equipment, batteries, basic electrical circuits and servicing engines, brakes and cooling systems. In the workshop you are the service and tyre kid: oil changes, filters, rotations, checking brakes, and handing tools to the qualified techs while you watch how jobs really get done. By the end of the year you are knocking out basic services on your own with someone checking your work.
• •Second year: TAFE moves into diagnosing and repairing hydraulic brakes, steering, suspension, charging systems and fuel systems. On the job you get trusted with proper mechanical repairs: brake overhauls, suspension components, water pumps, clutches. You stop being the kid who sweeps the floor and start carrying your own jobs from start to finish, with your logbook or training profile filling up as tasks get signed off.
• •Third year: this is the diagnostics year. Trade school covers engine management, electronic body systems, transmissions and building proper diagnostic test strategies, and many RTOs slot the hybrid and EV units in here too. At work you are on the scan tool chasing intermittent faults, doing driveability diagnosis and bigger engine and driveline jobs, and customers' cars are booked in under your name. At many TAFEs this is your last year on campus.
• •Fourth year: usually no more classes, just full time in the workshop consolidating everything while any remaining units get signed off on the job. You work at near tradesperson level, mentor the new first year, and knock over the last of your 36 units. When your employer and RTO agree you are competent, you get your Certificate III and trade papers, and in some states (like NSW) you then apply for a motor vehicle tradesperson's certificate so you can repair cars unsupervised.

The pre-apprenticeship: Cert II in Automotive Vocational Preparation (AUR20720)

If you have no workshop experience, the Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation (AUR20720) is the standard pre-apprenticeship. It is a short course, often 4 to 6 months or done at school, covering basic servicing, workshop safety and hand skills across light vehicles, heavy vehicles, motorcycles and more.

It is not compulsory, but it helps. Employers like hiring someone who has already held a spanner, and it shows you will actually turn up. In some states it is cheap or free to do (it is on Victoria's Free TAFE list, for example). It can also earn you credit against the Cert III.

How you actually enrol (it is not like uni)

You cannot just walk into TAFE and sign up for the apprentice version of the Cert III. First you need a job as an apprentice with a workshop, dealership or fleet employer.

Once you are hired, an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider (the government's free apprenticeship sign-up service, found through apprenticeships.gov.au) sets up your training contract. That contract gets registered with your state or territory training authority. You and your employer then pick the RTO (TAFE or private trainer) that delivers your off-the-job training, usually one day a week or in block release.

Still at school? Most states offer school-based apprenticeships where you start the Cert III and get paid work time while finishing Year 11 and 12.

What the course costs, state by state

Good news: in most states an automotive apprentice currently pays little or nothing for the course itself. These are the arrangements as at September 2026. Funding rules change every budget, so always check the state's live page before you rely on a number.

• •NSW: fee free. The NSW Government pays the course fee for government funded apprenticeships that start before 30 June 2027, saving you a student fee of up to about $2,000. Check the Skills NSW fee-free apprenticeships page.
• •VIC: apprentice training is government subsidised, and as at September 2026 Kangan Institute lists the light vehicle Cert III as a Free TAFE course, with the AUR20720 pre-app also on the Free TAFE list. Materials fees can still apply and eligibility rules exist, so check the Victorian Skills Gateway and your TAFE.
• •QLD: free if you start under 25. Queensland's Free Apprenticeships for Under 25s covers training fees on priority trades including light vehicle until 30 June 2027, even if you finish after turning 25. Otherwise the student contribution at TAFE Queensland is $1.60 per nominal hour of training, with concessions available.
• •WA: fee free for new entrant apprentices in priority areas from 1 January 2025 to the end of 2026, with resource fees still payable. Outside fee-free, the Lower Fees Local Skills caps apply: in 2026 annual fees are capped at $400 if you are 15 to 24 or hold a concession, and $1,200 otherwise. Check Jobs and Skills WA.
• •SA: subsidised through Skills SA. For eligible apprentices the government pays the course fee to the provider upfront, and you may only pay for materials and services. A travel and accommodation allowance is available for regional apprentices. Check the My Training (Skills SA) page.
• •TAS: apprentice training at TasTAFE is subsidised, and what you pay depends on the course and your circumstances. Note that Tasmania's Fee-Free TAFE places do not apply while you are an apprentice. Use the fee calculator on the TasTAFE course page or call them.
• •ACT: apprenticeship training is subsidised through the ACT's User Choice program, with most automotive apprentices training at CIT. Some Free TAFE places also run at CIT. Check the ACT skills site for current fees.
• •NT: apprentice training is subsidised by the NT Government, with CDU TAFE (Charles Darwin University) the main public provider. Fees are low but vary, so check the NT Government apprenticeships page.

Who actually pays the fees

Even where a fee exists, you often do not end up paying it. Plenty of employers, especially dealerships and bigger workshops, pay the training fees as part of taking you on. Ask before you sign up.

On top of that, the award that covers most vehicle mechanics (the Vehicle Repair, Services and Retail Award) includes apprentice conditions around training costs and textbooks, and time spent at TAFE counts as paid work time for apprentices. Check your exact entitlements on the Fair Work website, and use the Fair Work pay calculator at calculate.fairwork.gov.au for apprentice wage rates. We do not quote wage figures because they change every year.

Where you can study

Every state has a main public TAFE delivering the light vehicle Cert III, plus solid industry RTOs run by the motor trades associations. To see every provider approved to deliver AUR30620, search the code on training.gov.au and hit the RTOs tab.

• •NSW: TAFE NSW (multiple campuses), plus the Motor Traders' Association of NSW's training arm.
• •VIC: Kangan Institute's Automotive Centre of Excellence at Docklands is the big one, plus other TAFEs like Bendigo TAFE, The Gordon and SuniTAFE.
• •QLD: TAFE Queensland, plus MTA Institute (the Motor Trades Association of Queensland's RTO), which trains you mostly in your own workshop with a travelling trainer.
• •WA: South Metropolitan TAFE and North Metropolitan TAFE.
• •SA and NT: TAFE SA and CDU TAFE, plus the MTA (SA/NT) training centre.
• •TAS: TasTAFE.
• •ACT: Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT).

Dealership apprentice programs (Toyota and friends)

The big car brands run their own apprenticeship programs through their dealer networks. Toyota, and most other major manufacturers, take on apprentices at dealerships around the country: you do the same national Cert III through a partner RTO, plus brand-specific technical training on their vehicles, diagnostic gear and hybrid or EV systems.

These programs are worth a hard look. Dealership workshops are usually well equipped, the brand training stacks extra credentials on top of your Cert III, and there is often a clear path to master technician roles. Apply through the brand's careers page or walk into local dealerships and ask their service manager when apprentice intakes open.

Doing the Cert III without an apprenticeship

You can do AUR30620 as a straight course at some TAFEs and private RTOs, paying full fee with no employer. For most people it is the wrong move. You pay thousands instead of earning a wage, you miss 4 years of real workshop experience, and employers rate time on the tools far higher than a certificate earned in a classroom.

It is also harder to get into than you might think: TAFE NSW, for example, only takes non-apprenticeship students who are 21 or older with at least 2 years of industry experience. The exceptions where institutional study makes sense: you already have years of unqualified workshop experience and want recognition of prior learning, or you are an overseas-trained mechanic getting an Australian qualification. Otherwise, get the apprenticeship.

Licences and certificates after you qualify

In NSW, the qualification alone is not enough to legally work on cars. Anyone doing repair work needs a motor vehicle tradesperson certificate from NSW Fair Trading (issued through Service NSW), in the class of work you do, such as motor mechanic. Your Cert III is the standard qualification evidence. If you later run your own workshop or work self-employed in NSW, the business also needs a motor vehicle repairer licence (MVRL). Same idea: the licence covers the business, the tradesperson certificate covers you.

Most other states do not licence mechanics the same way, but rules on repair businesses vary, so check your state's fair trading or consumer protection site before you hang out your own shingle.

Costs beyond the course fees

The course fee is the small bit. Budget for a tool kit that grows every year of your apprenticeship, steel cap boots and workwear, and any textbooks or online learning access your RTO does not include. In NSW, add the tradesperson certificate fee when you qualify.

Help is available. Eligible apprentices can take an Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan to help with tools and living costs (interest free style indexed loan, repaid through tax later, with a discount if you finish); check apprenticeships.gov.au for current amounts. Some states also kick in travel and accommodation allowances for regional apprentices, like the one Skills SA offers. Some employers supply a starter tool kit or run tool purchase programs through the dealership, so ask in the interview.