- Australian or New Zealand citizens
- Australian permanent residents
- Not holding Australian or New Zealand citizenship or Australian permanent residency
Certificate IV in Engineering
This course is only available for domestic students
Overview
Are you a tradesperson or apprentice who wants to enhance your expertise? The Certificate IV in Engineering will give you practical skills to apply to diverse fields such as advanced welding, CNC machining or fluid power. The course is designed to build on your current skills in the Engineering sector and increase your job opportunities. The course offers four streams in which a student will select one stream.
The four streams are:
Stream 1: CNC/Fluid Power
Stream 2: Fabrication/Fluid Power
Stream 3: CNC/Fabrication
Stream 4: Fabrication
This is a nationally approved vocational course that is recognised throughout Australia.
Are you in high school?
Back by popular demand: A Day in the Life of a Swinburne Student. See what uni is really like with hands-on workshops, presentations and more across different study areas.
Skills you’ll learn
- CNC Programming
- Welding and fabrication
Your career opportunities
- Welding technician
- Toolmaking
- Plant mechanics technician
Admissions
For entry into this course it is assumed that the student is either already a tradesperson with access to structured on and off-the-job training or is an apprentice under an Australian Apprenticeship arrangement.
Swinburne defines the skills and knowledge required for a higher engineering tradesperson within metal, engineering, manufacturing, and associated industries. The skills associated with this qualification are intended to apply to a wide range of engineering work undertaken in the fields:
Refrigeration,
Air conditioning,
Casting and moulding,
Computer numerically controlled (CNC) programming,
Fluid power,
Heavy fabrication,
Instrumentation,
Maintenance,
Plant mechanics
Marine electronics, mechatronics,
Patternmaking,
Robotics,
Toolmaking,
Welding
Watch and clock services and repair,
Including post-trade work.
It should not be used as a pre-employment or pre-apprenticeship program. It is specifically designed to cover the skills and knowledge required of workers employed as Engineering/Manufacturing Tradesperson – Special Class Level II as defined in the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award.
Only trade qualifications from the following past and present courses will be accepted for entry into MEM40119 due to credit transfers and currency of skills:
MEM30205 – Cert III Mechanical
MEM30219 – Cert III Mechanical
MEM30319 – Cert III Fabrication
MEM31922 – Cert III Fabrication
Older qualifications that are from deleted training packages will not be accepted.
Admission requirements
Meeting the minimum entry requirements for the course does not guarantee an offer of a place. See admission requirements for general information about the admission process.
Successful completion of Australian Year 12, or equivalent overseas qualification.
English language requirements
Satisfactory completion of one of the following:
- IELTS overall band of 6.0 (Academic Module) with no individual band below 6.0
- Swinburne’s English for Academic Purposes (EAP 5 Advanced level) with overall 65%, all skills 65% or above
- or equivalent measures available at English language requirements.
Need to undertake an English assessment for entry?
A prerequisite for many courses, the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) can now be done at our Hawthorn campus.
Credit transfer
Credit transfer is the recognition of academic credits gained through formal study (i.e. units of competency) completed either at another institute or in another qualification. The total amount of credit will vary from individual to individual, based on the unit/s that have been successfully completed.
Recognition of prior learning
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of transferring the skills and knowledge that you have acquired over your lifetime (irrespective of how they were obtained) against the requirements of the unit.
RPL is an assessment process that requires you to provide evidence that demonstrates how you meet the requirements of the unit/s. The amount and types of evidence you will need to provide will depend on the unit requirements.
Finding your fit
At Swinburne, we recognise that not one size fits all. If this course doesn’t meet all your study criteria, check out these alternatives.
-
Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology (Civil Engineering Design)
-
Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology (Mechanical Engineering Design)
-
Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology - Electrical
Course structure
To be awarded the MEM40119 Certificate IV in Engineering units of competency to a value of 132 points must be achieved, chosen as outlined below:
Core units of competency listed below (totalling 33 points)
- Elective units of competency to a minimum value of 12 points from Group A
Elective units of competency to a maximum value of 87 points from Group B to bring the total value to 132 points.
Your units
| Units of study | Unit code |
|---|---|
| Core units | |
|
Work safely and effectively in manufacturing and engineering
Core unit |
MEM13015 |
|
Use hand tools
Core unit |
MEM18001 |
|
Use power tools/hand held operations
Core unit |
MEM18002 |
|
Perform engineering measurements
Core unit |
MEM12023 |
|
Interpret technical drawing
Core unit |
MEM09002 |
|
Undertake manual handling
Core unit |
MEM11011 |
|
Perform computations
Core unit |
MEM12024 |
|
Plan work activities
Core unit |
MEM14006 |
|
Organise and communicate information
Core unit |
MEM16006A |
|
Interact with computing technology
Core unit |
MEM16008A |
|
Assist in the provision of on-the-job training
Core unit |
MEM17003 |
|
Participate in environmentally sustainable work practices
Core unit |
MSMENV272 |
| Units of study | Unit code |
|---|---|
| Elective units | |
|
Perform manual heating and thermal cutting
Elective unit |
MEM05007 |
|
Perform advanced manual thermal cutting, gouging and shaping
Elective unit |
MEM05008 |
|
Perform sheet and plate assembly
Elective unit |
MEM03003 |
|
Carry out mechanical cutting
Elective unit |
MEM05005 |
|
Select welding processes
Elective unit |
MEM05051 |
|
Apply safe welding practices
Elective unit |
MEM05052 |
|
Mark off/out structural fabrications and shapes
Elective unit |
MEM12007 |
|
Perform geometric development
Elective unit |
MEM05037 |
|
Apply fabrication, forming and shaping techniques
Elective unit |
MEM05010 |
|
Perform automated thermal cutting
Elective unit |
MEM05009 |
|
Assemble fabricated components
Elective unit |
MEM05011 |
|
Repair, replace and/or modify fabrications
Elective unit |
MEM05036 |
|
Perform brazing and/or silver soldering
Elective unit |
MEM05006 |
|
Perform routine gas tungsten arc welding
Elective unit |
MEM05049 |
|
Weld using gas tungsten arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05019 |
|
Perform advanced welding using gas tungsten arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05020 |
|
Perform routine gas metal arc welding
Elective unit |
MEM05050 |
|
Weld using gas metal arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05017 |
|
Perform advanced welding using gas metal arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05018 |
|
Perform routine manual metal arc welding
Elective unit |
MEM05012 |
|
Weld using manual metal arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05015 |
|
Perform advanced welding using manual metal arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05016 |
|
Weld using flux core arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05047 |
|
Perform advanced welding using flux core arc welding process
Elective unit |
MEM05048 |
|
Perform routine flux core arc welding
Elective unit |
MEM05056 |
| Units of study | Unit code |
|---|---|
| Elective units | |
|
Set computer controlled machines and processes
Elective unit |
MEM07015 |
|
Set and edit computer controlled machines and processes
Elective unit |
MEM07016 |
|
Write basic NC and CNC programs
Elective unit |
MEM07018 |
|
Program NC and CNC machining centre
Elective unit |
MEM07019 |
|
Program multiple spindle and multiple axis NC and CNC machining centre
Elective unit |
MEM07020 |
|
Operate and monitor machine and process
Elective unit |
MEM07024 |
|
Operate computer controlled machines and processes
Elective unit |
MEM07028 |
|
Prepare basic engineering drawing
Elective unit |
MEM09003 |
|
Create 2-D drawings using computer-aided design system
Elective unit |
MEM09009 |
|
Create 3-D models using computer-aided design system
Elective unit |
MEM09010 |
|
Create 2-D code files using computer-aided manufacturing system
Elective unit |
MEM09022 |
|
Create 3-D code files using computer-aided manufacturing system
Elective unit |
MEM09023 |
|
Perform precision mechanical measurement
Elective unit |
MEM12003 |
| Units of study | Unit code |
|---|---|
| Elective units | |
|
Perform lathe operations
Elective unit |
MEM07006 |
|
Perform milling operations
Elective unit |
MEM07007 |
|
Perform grinding operations
Elective unit |
MEM07008 |
|
Perform complex lathe operations
Elective unit |
MEM07021 |
|
Mark off/out (general engineering)
Elective unit |
MEM12006 |
|
Use tools for precision work
Elective unit |
MEM18003 |
|
Perform precision fitting of engineering components
Elective unit |
MEM18006 |
|
Dismantle, replace and assemble engineering components
Elective unit |
MEM18055 |
|
Perform basic incidental heat/quenching, tempering and annealing
Elective unit |
MEM06007 |
|
Maintain pneumatic system components
Elective unit |
MEM18018 |
|
Maintain pneumatic systems
Elective unit |
MEM18019 |
|
Maintain hydraulic system components
Elective unit |
MEM18020 |
|
Maintain hydraulic systems
Elective unit |
MEM18021 |
|
Maintain fluid power controls
Elective unit |
MEM18022 |
|
Perform routine oxy fuel gas welding
Elective unit |
MEM05004 |
|
Perform general machining
Elective unit |
MEM07005 |
2025 fees
Full fee* ($AUD)
$20,860
Skills first government-subsidised place* ($AUD)
$7,410
Concession rate* ($AUD)
$1424
Yearly fee* ($AUD)
$0.00
2025 fees
Yearly fee* ($AUD)
$0.00
Fees are estimates only
Fees published on this page are estimates only and are subject to change depending on individual circumstances at the time of enrolment. The above fees apply for units studied in 2025 only and may change for units studied in future years. There may be additional costs related to learning material and equipment.
Fees are estimates only
The indicative course fees shown apply to international students for the relevant year, based on a standard study load per year. Fees are assessed according to actual study load each semester, with variations to study load resulting in tuition fee adjustments. These fees generally include the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and are subject to annual review. Enrolled students will receive reasonable notice of any fee changes before payment is due.
Skills first government-subsidised place
This training is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth Government funding. To qualify for a government-subsidised place, you must meet various eligibility criteria. The course you’ve applied for must also be offering government-subsidised places. Swinburne will determine your eligibility by conducting a full assessment of your eligibility during the course application process.
How do I pay my fees?
You can pay your Swinburne fees in person, via credit card, BPAY, or at Australia Post. Check to see if loans and employer sponsored training are also available.
International students need to pay tuition fees up-front by the relevant due date. You can find the due dates on your Statement of Account.
To pay your fees:
- log in to My Financials
- check your Australian bank account details are correct
- check your Statement of Account to see how much you owe
- pay using your preferred payment method.
Eligibility for VET student loans (VSL)
If you apply for a VET Student Loan, Swinburne must first verify your identity. If you are eligible, we will provide your enrolment information to the government so you can complete the application within their eCAF system.
The VET Student Loan amount for this course is capped. You must start repaying this loan once you earn above the compulsory repayment threshold.
Concessions rates for vocational students
If you’re enrolling in a Certificate IV-level program or below, are eligible for a government-subsidised training place and hold a valid concession card, you may be eligible for a concession of 80 per cent off the published fee of your unit(s) tuition – which means you’ll only be charged 20 per cent of the published fee.
-
Study this course for free in 2025
You could have your tuition fees covered in 2025 thanks to the Victorian Government's Free TAFE initiative.
Free TAFE is available to any Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen.
There are other factors, too. The best way to find out if you’re eligible is to apply!
Scholarships
Scholarship applications for 2025 are open. Scholarships at Swinburne are about providing opportunity, promoting equity and recognising excellence and achievement. We want you to reach your potential and achieve your life and career goals.
Our handy guide will assist you to gather documents for your application.
When you apply for a Swinburne course, we automatically consider you for an international scholarship of up to 30 per cent off your course fees – no separate application required! Just apply for your Swinburne course of choice and when we review your course application, we will also assess you for an international scholarship.
Apply through an agent
Most international students use an education agent to help them through the application process. Swinburne has agents all over the world that can help you with your application to study. Search for a Swinburne representative in your country. If your country is not listed, please contact us.
Apply directly
Ready to take on a new challenge and reach your academic goals? If you already know which course you want to study and understand the entry requirements, what are you waiting for? Apply online! Remember, you cannot apply direct if you have an active VTAC application.
All applicants considering enrolling in this qualification are required to contact the Engineering department at Wantirna (aarmstrong@swin.edu.au) to discuss the entry requirements. An interview is also required to determine suitability to the course, verify training plan, and identify any learning support needs.