← Certificate III qualifications
Certificate III in Carpentry
CPC - Construction, Plumbing and Services
Apprenticeship outcome for carpentry trade work, including framing, fixing and form-working.
Entry requirements
- Signed apprenticeship contract
- White Card
What you will learn
The CPC30220 covers structural carpentry for residential and commercial construction. Core units include setting out and erecting wall and roof framing, installing flooring systems, hanging doors and windows, fitting cornices and architraves, and constructing formwork for in-situ concrete. You learn to read building plans and specifications, work to the National Construction Code, and use power tools (circular saw, nail gun, drop saw, laser level) safely. Over a typical four-year apprenticeship you complete around 144 contact days at TAFE plus on-job hours under a licensed builder or carpenter, building enough portfolio evidence to satisfy the assessor.
Skills you build
- Reading architectural and structural drawings
- Setting out walls, floor systems and roof framing
- Safe operation of nail guns, drop saws and circular saws
- Levelling, plumbing and squaring frames
- Hanging doors, fitting locks and installing windows
- Constructing wall, slab and column formwork
- Working safely at heights and on scaffold
How the course runs
Most apprentices attend TAFE in one-week blocks each term or one day per week (day release), with the rest of the time on-job under a tradesperson. Around 144 contact days at TAFE over the four years is typical, with a theory and practical split of roughly 40/60 in the formal training. The apprenticeship is regulated through a Training Contract under your state apprenticeship authority. You progress through stages as your supervisor signs off competency tasks.
How you will be assessed
- Practical demonstrations in TAFE workshops
- Written knowledge tests per unit of competency
- Third-party reports from your supervising carpenter
- On-job photo evidence and log book entries
- Workplace projects assessed by the TAFE teacher on site
Workplace and placement
The apprenticeship is a paid workplace contract under the Australian Apprenticeships framework. You sign a Training Contract with a builder or carpentry contractor (direct hire or through a Group Training Organisation) before starting. Your employer provides the on-job hours and supervision, the RTO delivers the formal training. Apprentice wages are set under the Building and Construction General On-Site Award and rise each year of competency progression.
Typical employers
- Volume residential builders on new estates
- Custom home builders and renovators
- Commercial construction head contractors
- Formwork subcontractors on high-rise projects
- Shopfitting and carpentry contractors
- Local council and government maintenance teams
Pay after this qualification
$65,000 - $85,000 per year
Source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/explore-careers/occupation/carpenters-and-joiners. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
Is this the right course for you?
You probably thrive here if
- You like working outdoors and being on your feet
- You can read plans and visualise three-dimensional spaces
- You handle heavy lifting and repetitive bending
- You can work to tight tolerances and deadlines
- You can take direction on a busy site
It is probably not for you if
- You cannot commit to four years of apprentice pay
- You have a back, shoulder or knee condition
- You struggle in dusty, noisy environments
- You panic working at height on scaffold or roofs
After you finish
After completing the apprenticeship you can apply for a state builder licence in most jurisdictions after additional supervised experience and a Certificate IV in Building and Construction (CPC40120). The Diploma of Building and Construction (CPC50220) opens supervisor and site manager pathways. Bachelor of Construction Management programs at UTS, Deakin, Bond and others accept Cert III as partial credit toward a three or four-year degree.