HomeCoursesAllied health assistanceCertificate III in Sterilisation Services
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.
- Duration: 6 months to 1 year
- Study mode: Online, on campus and workplace based
- Course code: HLT37015
Where you can study this course
- Campuses
- 3 campuses
- Duration
- 6 months to 1 year
- Study mode
- Varies by campus
- Full fee
- $7,690
- Eligible students: subsidised from $1,450, concession $240
What students say
Many students speak well of the facilities and campus, and some rate the trainers and teaching highly, though opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching and student support, and some found the organisation and admin frustrating.
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TAFE Queensland
- Campuses
- Southport
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- On campus with some online
- Full fee
- $5,870
- Eligible students: subsidised from $2,605, concession $1,920
What students say
Many students rate the facilities and campus highly. Some found course content and organisation and admin frustrating, while opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching.
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The Gordon
- Campuses
- East Geelong Campus
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Not stated by provider
- Full fee
- $7,262
- Eligible students: subsidised from $1,622, concession $326
What students say
Students rate the trainers and teaching highly, along with the student support and course content. Some found organisation and admin frustrating, and opinions are mixed on student support and course content.
- Visit course page → (opens in a new tab)
North Metropolitan TAFE
- Campuses
- Mount Lawley
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- On campus
- Full fee
- Not stated by provider
What students say
Opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching, with some students finding the organisation and admin frustrating and a number unhappy with the course content.
- Campuses
- 12 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
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Chisholm Institute
- Campuses
- Frankston
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Not stated by provider
- Full fee
- $8,198
- Eligible students: subsidised from $3,179, concession $636
What students say
Students rate the trainers and teaching highly, along with student support and course content. Some students found organisation and admin frustrating, and opinions are mixed on student support.
- Visit course page → (opens in a new tab)
South Metropolitan TAFE
- Campuses
- Murdoch
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Varies by campus
- Full fee
- Not stated by provider
What students say
Students often rate the trainers and teaching highly, though opinions are mixed on both teaching and campus facilities. Some also found student support frustrating to access.
- Visit course page → (opens in a new tab)
South Regional TAFE
- Campuses
- Bunbury
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Traineeship - workplace
- Full fee
- Not stated by provider
Last reviewed 20 September 2026.
Is this course right for you?
Entry requirements
N/A
- Providers can set their own conditions, such as a minimum age or a current job in the industry, and practical training may need a workplace placement. Check each provider above.
Entry recommendations
To be prepared for this course, 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
What will you learn?
You learn how infection spreads and how to stop it, then work through the full cycle: cleaning and disinfecting instruments, checking them for damage, packing and sealing them, and running the steriliser. Because the work follows strict procedures, much of the training is about doing each step correctly and keeping the records that show it was done. You also cover safe manual handling and general workplace health and safety.
- Infection prevention and control
- Cleaning and disinfecting instruments
- Inspecting and packing instruments
- Running steriliser loads
- Managing sterile stock
- Safe manual handling
Units of competency (10 core, 4 elective)
The qualification is made up of 14 units. Everyone completes the 10 core units below, and the remaining 4 are electives chosen from the list on training.gov.au, so they vary by provider. Select a unit to see what it covers.
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Career pathways
Roles this qualification is a recognised route into, and what else you need.
A recognised route into Sterilisation Technician
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.
Explore this career →- Weekly pay
- $1,200
- Full-time share
- 58%
- Employment size
- 4,900 workers
- Average age
- 50 years
- Average full-time hours
- 38 hours
- Gender share
- 67% female
- Future growth
- +7%
- Job market
- Not in shortage
Instrument sterilisation and reprocessing duties within the qualification and employer infection-control procedures.
Data from training.gov.au and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (CC BY 4.0).