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Certificate III · national qualification

Certificate III in Sterilisation Services

This qualification prepares you to work in a sterilising service or reprocessing area, the part of a hospital or clinic that turns used surgical instruments back into safe, sterile ones.

Compare 11 providers
Illustration of a person working as sterilisation Technician
How long it takes
6 to 12 months
full time at TAFE NSW
What it costs
From $1,450
Subsidised at TAFE NSW, full fee up to $8,198
How you can study
Online, on campus or on the job
Main job
Sterilisation Technician
$62,400 (estimate) median pay
Taught by
11 providers
7 states and territories

Is this course right for you?

What the Certificate III in Sterilisation Services asks of you, and what you might want to check first.

It helps to have

  • an interest in keeping things clean and safe
  • a careful approach to following set steps
  • good attention to detail when checking instruments
  • steady hands for handling delicate tools

Before you start

N/A

Where this course can take you

Jobs this qualification is a recognised route into, and the study that can follow it.

Jobs you can do with it

  • Sterilisation Technician

    Sterilisation technicians clean, inspect and sterilise the surgical instruments hospitals reuse, recording each load so every tray can be traced back to a patient.

    What else you need

    Instrument sterilisation and reprocessing duties within the qualification and employer infection-control procedures.

    Median pay$62,400 (estimate)

If you study further

Pay is the median for everyone in the job, and “In demand” means the job is on the national shortage list. Pay marked as an estimate is our own analysis, not a published figure.

What it costs

Subsidised place

From $1,450

at TAFE NSW. Whether you get a subsidised place depends on your state, residency, age and earlier study.

Paying the full fee

$5,870 to $8,198

across the TAFEs listed below. Private providers set their own fees.

  • TAFE NSWNSW

    Subsidised
    $1,450
    Concession
    $240
    Full fee
    $7,690
    How long
    6 to 12 months

  • Chisholm InstituteVIC

    Subsidised
    $3,179
    Concession
    $636
    Full fee
    $8,198

  • The GordonVIC

    Subsidised
    $1,622
    Concession
    $326
    Full fee
    $7,262

  • TAFE QueenslandQLD

    Subsidised
    $2,605
    Concession
    $1,920
    Full fee
    $5,870

Fees as each TAFE shows them on its website, read 20 September 2026. Private providers set their own fees.

Where you can study this course

There are 11 places you can study this course. When you compare them, check they teach it the way you want to study, how far you'd be from a campus, what it will cost you and what past students say about the teaching and support. They're listed by how often people search for them, and none of them pays to be here or to move up.

What you’ll learn

14 units: 10 that everyone takes and 4 you choose.

  • Infection prevention and control
  • Cleaning and disinfecting instruments
  • Inspecting and packing instruments
  • Running steriliser loads
  • Managing sterile stock
  • Safe manual handling
See all 10 core units

Core units

Everyone completes these. Select a unit to see what it covers.

  • Loading the details for CHCCOM005…

Questions to ask before you enrol

Providers run this course differently, so the answers change from one to the next.

  1. When is the next intake, and how many are there each year?
  2. What is the total cost, including materials, checks and any placement costs?
  3. Can I study part time or online, and how does that change the length?
  4. Do the units count towards a higher qualification if I go on to study further?

Questions people ask

Who is this qualification for?

It prepares you to work in a sterilising service or reprocessing area, where used surgical instruments are made safe and sterile again. You learn infection control, cleaning and disinfecting, inspecting, packing, sterilising and record keeping.

Do I need experience or other qualifications first?

This qualification has no entry requirements. Individual providers can set their own conditions, so check with the provider you choose.

Related courses

The national training register, training.gov.au. TAFE course pages, read 20 September 2026. Google reviews. Pay and shortage status from Jobs and Skills Australia.