How to become an air conditioning mechanic in Australia
Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics assemble, install, maintain and repair industrial, commercial and domestic airconditioning and refrigeration systems and equipment.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics group are projected to grow 6.7% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Establishing job requirements from drawings and specifications, and laying out installation reference points
- Drilling holes, installing mounting brackets and cutting, bending and threading piping
- Installing and repairing components such as compressors, motors, condensers, evaporators, switches and gauges, and copper lines for steam, gas, refrigerant, compressed air, oil and chilled water
- Bolting, soldering, riveting, welding and brazing pipes to connect equipment, and checking alignment and accuracy of fit
- Filling systems with gas or fluid to check for leaks
- Test-operating refrigeration systems, checking mechanisms and making adjustments
How to get there
What it usually takes. A Certificate III or IV, including at least two years of on-the-job training where it is a Certificate III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the airconditioning and refrigeration mechanics group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 3% a degree or higher, 5% a diploma, 69% a Certificate III or IV.
Apprenticeship or traineeship. Air Conditioning and Refrigeration is on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List (1 April 2026), with qualifications including Certificate III in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Certificate III in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Certificate IV in Electrical - Air Conditioning Split Systems. Find a provider at Your Career or your state's TAFE.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It usually starts with training on the job or at a registered training provider, not a course through an admissions centre. See Your Career.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Apprenticeships: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, 1 April 2026.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.