Choose an RTO
34 providers can deliver CPC40920. Availability, fees and start dates are set by each provider.
About this qualification
CPC40920 is the qualification above the plumbing trade. The register describes “an experienced plumbing service operator with advanced technical skills and/or responsibility for project design and supervision; or a hydraulic consultant responsible for designing hydraulic components and systems”.
Fifteen units, ten core — and the core reads like an engineering brief rather than a trade one. Design and size sanitary drainage, stormwater drainage, consumer gas installations, sanitary plumbing systems, and heated and cold-water services. Five of the ten core units are design and size.
The entry requirements differ by stream, which is unusual enough to be worth stating plainly. For the Operations stream you must hold a Certificate III in Plumbing or be authorised to undertake plumbing work by an Australian regulator or licensing body. For Hydraulic Services Design there are no entry requirements at all.
That means a person with no plumbing background can enter the design stream, while a working plumber is the intended audience for operations. Forty-four providers nationally.
Roles it maps to
Occupational titles named on the national register for CPC40920.
Where it leads
A specialisation on top of the plumbing trade rather than a rung above it. From here the common moves are contracting and building work.
- Certificate III · comes beforeCPC32420 Plumbing
- Certificate IV · you are hereCPC40920 Plumbing and Services
- Diploma · contractingCPC50220 Building and Construction (Building)
- Certificate IV · self-employmentBSB40320 Entrepreneurship and New Business
- Certificate IV · supportingBSB41419 Work Health and Safety
What it covers
Fifteen units in total: ten core plus five electives, selected according to the stream being awarded.
The 10 core units, required by everyone:
- BSBESB402 Establish legal and risk management requirements of new business ventures
- CPCCBC4012 Read and interpret plans and specifications
- CPCPCM4011 Carry out work-based risk control processes
- CPCPCM4012 Estimate and cost work
- CPCPCM4015 Access and interpret regulatory requirements for the plumbing and services industry
- CPCPDR4011 Design and size sanitary drainage systems
- CPCPDR4012 Design and size stormwater drainage systems
- CPCPGS4011 Design and size consumer gas installations
- CPCPSN4011 Design and size sanitary plumbing systems
- CPCPWT4011 Design and size heated and cold-water services and systems
For a full list of elective units, visit training.gov.au →
Frequently asked questions
- Can I do this without being a plumber?
- For the Hydraulic Services Design stream, yes — the register records no entry requirements for it. For the Operations stream you must hold a Certificate III in Plumbing or be authorised to do plumbing work by an Australian regulator. Confirm which stream a provider delivers.
- What is a hydraulic consultant?
- Someone who designs water, drainage, stormwater and gas systems for buildings — sizing and specifying rather than installing. Five of the ten core units are design and sizing units, which is what makes this qualification unusual.
- Does it license me to do plumbing work?
- No. Plumbing licensing is set by state and territory authorities. The Operations stream assumes you are already licensed or authorised; the qualification is not itself the licence.
- Why only forty-four providers?
- The design content requires teaching capability that most trade providers do not have. It is a small, technical field.
- What does it cost and how long does it take?
- Both are set by each provider and are not published on the national register.
Specialisations
CPC40920 has two streams, and the entry requirements are not the same for both. This is the detail that decides whether you can enrol at all.
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Operations
Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services (Operations)
For plumbers moving into supervision and contracting.
Entry requirement: you must hold a Certificate III in Plumbing, or be authorised to undertake plumbing work by an Australian regulator or licensing body.
-
Hydraulic Services Design
Certificate IV in Plumbing and Services (Hydraulic services design)
For designing hydraulic components and systems in domestic, commercial and industrial contexts.
No entry requirements. The register records none for this stream — a trade background is not required.
Other registered providers
Filtered by where each provider is based, not where they can deliver.
-
NSW
TAFE NSWRTO 90003
Deliver and assess · NSW, QLD -
QLD
TAFE QueenslandRTO 0275
Deliver and assess · National -
WA
North Metropolitan TAFERTO 52786
Deliver and assess · WA -
QLD
National SkillsRTO 45438
Deliver and assess · National -
NSW
Maxwells ServicesRTO 90924
Deliver and assess · National -
NSW
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH AND MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE PTY LTDRTO 70252
Deliver and assess · NSW -
QLD
Skills Recognition International Pty LtdRTO 32373
Deliver and assess · National -
NSW
Australia Learning InstituteRTO 41429
Deliver and assess · National -
VIC
House of LearningRTO 21583
Deliver and assess · National -
NSW
Career Skills Australia Pty LtdRTO 45254
Deliver and assess · National -
NSW
Teach InternationalRTO 31165
Deliver and assess · NSW -
NSW
Construction Trades CollegeRTO 40250
Deliver and assess · National -
Find more providers
12 of 34 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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