By the ConConnect team · Updated August 2026 · Licensing verified against state regulators; training per training.gov.au
Concreting has one of the fastest entry paths in Australian construction: a half-day White Card course gets you on site as a labourer this week, a Cert III makes you qualified in 12–24 months — quicker than almost any other trade — and from there it's a short step to running your own jobs. Here's the full pathway, including the licensing thresholds nobody tells you about until you quote your first job.
The general construction induction (unit CPCWHS1001) is the one legal must-have for anyone on a construction site. It's a half-day course through a registered training organisation, costs roughly $50–$150, is recognised nationally, and lapses if you're out of construction work for two consecutive years.
No qualification is required to labour for a concreting crew — most concreters start exactly here, learning screeding, formwork and finishing on real pours. Turning up fit, on time and keen counts for more than paperwork at this stage.
CPC30320 is the trade qualification, run as an apprenticeship in some states and a traineeship in others — typically 12–24 months, versus 3–4 years for most trades. Apprentice wages step up from 55% to 90% of the qualified rate as you progress, and experienced labourers can shortcut via recognition of prior learning.
Working for wages needs no licence — contracting in your own right does, once jobs pass your state's threshold (table below). Before quoting your first job, work out your real charge-out rate — undercharging is how new subbies go broke while busy.
These thresholds apply to contracting concreting work in your own name — employees never need them. Every state accepts the Cert III as the core qualification, and most add business units, insurance or financial requirements on top.
| State | Licence needed from | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Over $5,000 (incl. GST) | Contractor licence, class 'General concreting' (NSW Fair Trading) |
| QLD | Over $3,300 (incl. GST) | QBCC licence, class 'Concreting' |
| VIC | $10,000+ domestic work | Registered building practitioner (e.g. Domestic Builder – footings & slab work); insurance over $16,000 |
| WA | $20,000+ (permit work) | Registered building contractor |
| SA | Any amount | CBS Building Work Contractor's licence |
Verified against state regulators August 2026. Thresholds are labour plus materials; always confirm current requirements with your regulator before contracting.
Australia employs about 44,600 concreters, growing by roughly 3,200 a year, with 87% working full-time — most of the work sits in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The ladder runs labourer → qualified concreter → specialist (formwork, decorative, tilt-panel) or leading hand → supervisor → licensed subcontractor running your own crew.
The money follows the same ladder — from around $16/hr as a first-stage apprentice to $43–$47/hr as a qualified employee and $60–$90/hr gross as a subbie. The full breakdown, award rates included, is in our concreter salary guide.
No formal qualification is legally required to work as a concreter in Australia — you can start as a labourer with just a White Card and learn on the job. The Cert III in Concreting (CPC30320) is what makes you a qualified tradesman, and a contractor licence only becomes mandatory when you contract work in your own right above your state's threshold.
You can be on site within a week — the White Card is a half-day course costing roughly $50–$150. Becoming qualified takes 12–24 months through a concreting apprenticeship or traineeship (Cert III CPC30320), which is noticeably faster than the 3–4 years most trades require. Experienced workers can also skip straight to recognition of prior learning.
It's one of the more physical trades — early starts, heavy materials, working in the weather, and pours that can't stop once the truck arrives. The trade-off is a fast path to qualification, steady demand, solid pay, and one of the clearest routes in construction from labourer to running your own crew.
Yes — employed concreters typically earn $70,000–$100,000 a year (around $43–$47 per hour at market rates), and subcontractors charge $60–$90+ per hour gross. Apprentices start lower (around $16 per hour) but reach 90% of the qualified rate by their final stage.
Yes. Plenty of concreters start as labourers with a White Card, build years of on-site experience, then have their skills formally recognised through recognition of prior learning (RPL) toward the Cert III. The apprenticeship or traineeship route just packages the same learning with structured wages and TAFE blocks.
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ConConnect helps concreters and subbies find local work, book pumps and crews, and get paid — whether you're on your first crew or running your own. Join the waitlist and get three months of Plus free at launch.