Do I need an apprenticeship?

Not as a register requirement - CPC30220 records no entry requirements. In practice carpentry is overwhelmingly delivered through apprenticeships, and the twenty-seven core units include a great deal of on-site work.

Does this qualification license me to build?

No. The register notes that state and territory jurisdictions have different licensing, legislative, regulatory and certification requirements. The qualification is usually a component of a builder or trade licence rather than the licence itself - check with your state authority.

Why so few electives?

Because it is a trade. Twenty-seven of thirty-four units are core, so a carpenter qualified in one state has covered the same ground as one qualified in another. The seven electives are where specialisation happens.

Can I get CPC30220 through RPL?

Often, yes, for experienced carpenters without formal qualifications, and it is a common pathway to licensing. Practical assessment is substantial. Whether RPL is offered is decided by each provider.

What does it cost and how long does it take?

Both are set by each provider and are not published on the national register. An apprenticeship pathway typically runs three to four years.

CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry

This qualification has been superseded

CPC30220 was current from 27 November 2020 to 22 September 2026. New enrolments go to the version below.

CURRENT VERSION · RELEASED 23 SEPTEMBER 2026

CPC30326 Certificate III in Carpentry

Same title and the same qualification, recoded in the September 2026 release of the CPC training package. The national register flags CPC30326 as equivalent to CPC30220.

View CPC30326

About this qualification

CPC30220 is a trade qualification, and it is built like one. The register describes carpenters “in residential and commercial workplaces”, covering “setting out, manufacturing, constructing, assembling, installing and repairing products made using timber and non-timber materials”.

Thirty-four units, and twenty-seven of them are core. That is the second-highest core count in this directory. A carpenter is expected to do the whole job — setting out, flooring systems, wall frames, ceiling frames, roof trusses, pitched roofs, eaves, windows and doors, external stairs, cladding, lining and panelling — and the qualification does not let a provider trim it.

The register names three occupational titles it leads to: Carpenter — Commercial, Carpenter — Formwork, and Carpenter — Residential.

It also carries a licensing note worth reading before you enrol: state and territory jurisdictions have different licensing, legislative, regulatory and certification requirements, so what this qualification allows you to do varies by where you work.

Roles it maps to

Occupational titles named on the national register for CPC30220.

Carpenter — Residential Carpenter — Commercial Carpenter — Formwork Apprentice Carpenter

Where it leads

There is no higher carpentry qualification — Certificate III is the trade. What carpenters do next is usually a second trade, or the business and licensing side of working for themselves.

Certificate II · comes beforeCPC20220 Construction Pathways
Certificate III · you are hereCPC30220 Carpentry
Certificate III · dual tradeCPC31920 Joinery
Certificate IV · builder pathwayCPC40120 Building and Construction
Certificate IV · self-employmentBSB40320 Entrepreneurship and New Business
Certificate IV · supportingBSB41419 Work Health and Safety

What it covers

27Core units

7Elective units

Thirty-four units in total. A minimum of five electives from Group A, with the remainder from Group A or Group B, and a maximum of two from any group or current training package provided they contribute to a valid vocational outcome.

Twenty-seven core units. The first fourteen:

CPCCCA2002 Use carpentry tools and equipment
CPCCCA2011 Handle carpentry materials
CPCCCA3001 Carry out general demolition of minor building structures
CPCCCA3002 Carry out setting out
CPCCCA3003 Install flooring systems
CPCCCA3004 Construct and erect wall frames
CPCCCA3005 Construct ceiling frames
CPCCCA3006 Erect roof trusses
CPCCCA3007 Construct pitched roofs
CPCCCA3008 Construct eaves
CPCCCA3010 Install windows and doors
CPCCCA3016 Construct, assemble and install timber external stairs
CPCCCA3017 Install exterior cladding
CPCCCA3024 Install lining, panelling and moulding
CPCCCA3025 Read and interpret plans, specifications and drawings for carpentry work
CPCCCA3028 Erect and dismantle formwork for footings and slabs on ground
CPCCCM2006 Apply basic levelling procedures
CPCCCM2008 Erect and dismantle restricted height scaffolding
CPCCCM2012 Work safely at heights
CPCCCO2013 Carry out concreting to simple forms
CPCCOM1012 Work effectively and sustainably in the construction industry
CPCCOM1014 Conduct workplace communication
CPCCOM1015 Carry out measurements and calculations
CPCCOM3001 Perform construction calculations to determine carpentry material requirements
CPCCOM3006 Carry out levelling operations
CPCCWHS2001 Apply WHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry
CPCWHS3001 Identify construction work hazards and select risk control strategies

For a full list of elective units, visit training.gov.au →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an apprenticeship?: Not as a register requirement — CPC30220 records no entry requirements. In practice carpentry is overwhelmingly delivered through apprenticeships, and the twenty-seven core units include a great deal of on-site work.
Does this qualification license me to build?: No. The register notes that state and territory jurisdictions have different licensing, legislative, regulatory and certification requirements. The qualification is usually a component of a builder or trade licence rather than the licence itself — check with your state authority.
Why so few electives?: Because it is a trade. Twenty-seven of thirty-four units are core, so a carpenter qualified in one state has covered the same ground as one qualified in another. The seven electives are where specialisation happens.
Can I get CPC30220 through RPL?: Often, yes, for experienced carpenters without formal qualifications, and it is a common pathway to licensing. Practical assessment is substantial. Whether RPL is offered is decided by each provider.
What does it cost and how long does it take?: Both are set by each provider and are not published on the national register. An apprenticeship pathway typically runs three to four years.

Other registered providers

Filtered by where each provider is based, not where they can deliver.

NSW

TAFE NSWRTO 90003

Deliver and assess · NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, ACT
QLD

TAFE QueenslandRTO 0275

Deliver and assess · NSW, QLD, NT
WA

North Metropolitan TAFERTO 52786

Deliver and assess · WA
QLD

Halo Nation TrainingRTO 32485

Deliver and assess · National
WA

WA Dept of Training and Workforce DevelopmentRTO 52395

Deliver and assess · WA
QLD

National SkillsRTO 45438

Deliver and assess · National
VIC

The Management EdgeRTO 3927

Deliver and assess · NSW, VIC, ACT
QLD

AshtrailRTO 6139

Deliver and assess · National
NSW

Maxwells ServicesRTO 90924

Deliver and assess · National
NSW

Captain Cook InstituteRTO 91707

Deliver and assess · NSW
QLD

PM2RTO 41304

Deliver and assess · National
QLD

Australian Trade Training CollegeRTO 31399

Deliver and assess · National
Find more providers

12 of 346 providers shown — search the register for the rest
training.gov.au →

More in Construction

Other qualifications in the CPC training package, nearest level first.

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