The systems integration industry will have its first nationally recognised trade qualification from early 2027, with the Certificate III and Certificate IV in Systems Integration announced at Integrate Expo.

The qualification, designed for delivery as a four-year program, sits within the national Electrotechnology Training Package. It was developed by a volunteer coalition drawn from across the residential, commercial, AV, telecommunications and assistive technology sectors, coordinated by the Powering Skills Organisation (PSO), the Jobs and Skills Council responsible for the energy and electrotechnology workforce.

The new qualification combines core electrotechnology skills with elective streams spanning telecommunications cabling, security, networking and assistive technology, reflecting the breadth of modern integration work across homes, businesses and public spaces. The Certificate III is the foundation of a broader pathway: A post-trade Certificate IV in Systems Integration was also announced, covering more specialised skills such as system design.

The announcement comes with the backing of CEDIA, AVIXA and Master Integrator, marking a moment of alignment across the residential and commercial arms of the industry.

Master Integrator founder and managing director Paul Skelton (formerly CEDIA’s regional development independent consultant for ANZ) says the qualification answers the industry’s longest-running complaint.

“For more than 20 years, integrators have told anyone who would listen that there was no formal way into this trade. No apprenticeship, no recognised pathway, just manufacturer training and people learning on the job,” he says.

“From next year, a school leaver will potentially be able to walk into this industry the same way they would walk into any other trade. That changes everything about how we recruit, how we train and how we are seen.”

PSO director of training product development Christina Bradley says this qualification exists because the industry showed up: “Volunteers gave their time over several years to define what a competent integrator looks like, and the result is a trade qualification the whole sector can stand behind.”

The inclusion of assistive technology was pivotal to the qualification’s approval, positioning integration as essential infrastructure that supports older Australians and people with disability to live independently at home.

Registered training organisations are now being secured as launch partners ahead of the first intake, and work is underway to secure the funding arrangements that will underpin the qualification’s delivery as a formal apprenticeship. Educators who hold a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and want to be involved in delivery are encouraged to make contact.