Can any one clear this up???

[Carlos fandango]

I understand your point about bought bogus cerificates, but the process for obtaining a license in australia once you arrive , does this not require you attend a tafe and do a practical assesment to prove you are competant?.
this being the case if you had bought your certificate you wouldnt pass the tafe test and wouldnt get a license to work
the skills test with vetasses is just for the visa application and nothing else. These is the argument that people with bought certificates would then have 'blagged' their way in and could then go and find unskilled work as something else, but then at the visa application stage everyones qualifications could be checked out not just taken for granted
if you have city and guilds or NVQ's then these can be checked out - if they are in doubt then ask you to do a skills test, it shouldnt be the blanket rule for everyone
they must be making a sodding killing from all the cash generated from this scam, its almost as bad as part p here and having to pay through the nose every year for the privelidge to work

Money makes the world go around and if you look back through history you'll see millions of people/companys/governments making a killing on some bright spark coming up with an idea to generate cash.... (speed cameras, parking meters, CSCS cards, Poll Tax.. etc etc etc etc)

[derren7]

Hi guys I am an electrician and looking to emigrate from uk
have heard about a skills assesment to obtain an ARTC (australian recognised trades cert)
aparantly I need an ARTC to get an electricians licence when getting to oz.

I pulled this from the PDF ARTC guidelines and requirments.

It states a person is eligible for an ARTC if you have completed succesful traineeship and formal qualifications combined with work experience totaling no less than 4 years

There are notes at the bottom which states
applicants who have not completed any formal training will need to have their skills assesed by a skills assesor.

My question is this guys, if you have your formal electrical qualifications ( which I have ) do I need to pay an extortionate sum of money to these skills assesors when it comes to applying for a visa?

if they are saying they will issue me an ARTC on the basis I have formal city and guild qualifications above level 2 , then when or why would I have to pay vetasses or TRA to asses me?????

can anyone please clear this up as if I dont need to shell out nearly a grand for a pointless demonstration you can do the job youve been doing for years and are (more than) formally qualified in.

seems like a milking excersize to me and If there is no need for me to do it for my visa application then I would like to avoid paying all this money out.

Thanks guys , I appreciate all the advice

Hi Lloyd,
You will need to be assessed by VETASSESS for migration purposes.
From my understanding VETASSESS are changing their assessment from a practical and theory based one to a interview type process although I am not 100% sure.
Once you have been successfully assessed you will be awarded an OTSR (offshore technical skills record). If you are going to WA then' Energy Safety' who issue licences in WA will require you to attend a 2 week coures at CET in Balcatta , Perth. Upon successful completion you would be awarded the coveted WA A grade licence.
All other states (except SA) require up to 12 months on the job training combined with off site training at a TAFE (college).
Note, you can not apply for an ARTC unless you are a resident of Australia.
If you go to British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community and go to electricians forum and check out a thread posted by Warren Thomas entitled 'WA electrical mechanic certificate in 4 months ,so easy" he shows you step by step how he got his licence. He got his with an ARTC because his wife was the main applicant and he applied for an ARTC once he got his visa, although holders of an OTSR can follow his steps also.
Hope this helps
Regards Derren

[lloyd1980]

Hi Lloyd,
You will need to be assessed by VETASSESS for migration purposes.
From my understanding VETASSESS are changing their assessment from a practical and theory based one to a interview type process although I am not 100% sure.
Once you have been successfully assessed you will be awarded an OTSR (offshore technical skills record). If you are going to WA then' Energy Safety' who issue licences in WA will require you to attend a 2 week coures at CET in Balcatta , Perth. Upon successful completion you would be awarded the coveted WA A grade licence.
All other states (except SA) require up to 12 months on the job training combined with off site training at a TAFE (college).
Note, you can not apply for an ARTC unless you are a resident of Australia.
If you go to British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community and go to electricians forum and check out a thread posted by Warren Thomas entitled 'WA electrical mechanic certificate in 4 months ,so easy" he shows you step by step how he got his licence. He got his with an ARTC because his wife was the main applicant and he applied for an ARTC once he got his visa, although holders of an OTSR can follow his steps also.
Hope this helps
Regards Derren

Thanks so much for this!!!!!
Ive discovered now that as soon as I obtain my offshore technical skills record from vetasses and have an address in australia ( have taken residency )
I fill out this form http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/EnergySaf...018%200710.pdf

pay the $38 fee - sit a 2 week course at a cost of nearly $ 900, then pay the licensing fee of $ 300 and odd then I get my A license.

sounds to good to be true!!!!!!!!
am very happy after hearing this !!! thanks you

[derren7]

Thanks so much for this!!!!!
Ive discovered now that as soon as I obtain my offshore technical skills record from vetasses and have an address in australia ( have taken residency )
I fill out this form http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/EnergySaf...018%200710.pdf

pay the $38 fee - sit a 2 week course at a cost of nearly $ 900, then pay the licensing fee of $ 300 and odd then I get my A license.

sounds to good to be true!!!!!!!!
am very happy after hearing this !!! thanks you

Your welcome.
Also, there's an electricians thread on here so keep us updated on how you get on.
Regards Derren

[brideycollette]

Your welcome.
Also, there's an electricians thread on here so keep us updated on how you get on.
Regards Derren

Can i ask ( remember im just wifey lol ) hubby has been classed as electrician special class , would he have to do this course too ?

Brides x

[derren7]

Can i ask ( remember im just wifey lol ) hubby has been classed as electrician special class , would he have to do this course too ?

Brides x

Hi Bridey,
As far as I'm aware, and bizarrely, the TRA still assess electricians special class as opposed to general electricians who are assessed by VETASSESS which just adds to the confusion. Why this is so, I have no idea.
I'm not sure what courses an electrician special class is required to do. I'll try to have a nose about and get back on that one.
Regards Derren

[derren7]

Can i ask ( remember im just wifey lol ) hubby has been classed as electrician special class , would he have to do this course too ?

Brides x

Hi again Bridey,
Have had a quick look around and this is my understanding. You may already know some of this but I run through it anyway.
Confusingly, there is no such thing in Australia as general electrician or electrician special class. These terms are used for migration purposes only.
For licencing purposes, there are basically two types of electrician, electrical fitter which,is in its simplest description, is a maintenance spark and, electrical mechanic which is an installation spark.
The mechanic is the more highly regarded of the two as you are restricted to certain types of work on a fitter's licence.
As your husband was assessed by the TRA and, presumably not issued with an OTSR, he will have to apply for an ARTC once you have your PR visa.
From posts made by other sparks deemed special class it is highly likely that he will be granted an ARTC as an electrical fitter. Personally, I find this a bit daft as he has probably worked on systems of a more complex nature than a general electrician would and would be granted a lower grade of licence.
Anyway, if your OH has any installation experience, I would highlight this in your ARTC application in the hope that he is granted an ARTC for electrical mechanic.
If he is then he would fill in the form in the link provided above by Lloyd.
If he is granted a an ARTC as a fitter then he will need to fill in form R093.0710.pdf which I hope I've attached correctly.
Whether he would attend the same type of course as an electrical mechanic I do not know. It may be best to contact energy safety by email pre-emptively to find out the requirements for fitters or wait until he gets the ARTC to see what grading he is awarded and take it from there.
Hope this helps in some way.
Regards Derren

[brideycollette]

Hi again Bridey,
Have had a quick look around and this is my understanding. You may already know some of this but I run through it anyway.
Confusingly, there is no such thing in Australia as general electrician or electrician special class. These terms are used for migration purposes only.
For licencing purposes, there are basically two types of electrician, electrical fitter which,is in its simplest description, is a maintenance spark and, electrical mechanic which is an installation spark.
The mechanic is the more highly regarded of the two as you are restricted to certain types of work on a fitter's licence.
As your husband was assessed by the TRA and, presumably not issued with an OTSR, he will have to apply for an ARTC once you have your PR visa.
From posts made by other sparks deemed special class it is highly likely that he will be granted an ARTC as an electrical fitter. Personally, I find this a bit daft as he has probably worked on systems of a more complex nature than a general electrician would and would be granted a lower grade of licence.
Anyway, if your OH has any installation experience, I would highlight this in your ARTC application in the hope that he is granted an ARTC for electrical mechanic.
If he is then he would fill in the form in the link provided above by Lloyd.
If he is granted a an ARTC as a fitter then he will need to fill in form R093.0710.pdf which I hope I've attached correctly.
Whether he would attend the same type of course as an electrical mechanic I do not know. It may be best to contact energy safety by email pre-emptively to find out the requirements for fitters or wait until he gets the ARTC to see what grading he is awarded and take it from there.
Hope this helps in some way.
Regards Derren

Thanks Derren ! its a nightmare he is qualified in so many varied fields in electrics and hydraulics he keeps getting lost ......because over here he is an electrician engineer in the navy , thanks so much for this he is a bit peeved that his foundation degree isn't helping , that we know of ... will know more when we hit oz i guess

Thanks from us the evans gang

[lloyd1980]

Right guys am posting emails ive received from dept of energy on the electricians thread if you want to look ( saves double posting ) its step by step of whats needed, even clears up some resrictions

lloyd

[woodymcfc]

Hi again Bridey,
Have had a quick look around and this is my understanding. You may already know some of this but I run through it anyway.
Confusingly, there is no such thing in Australia as general electrician or electrician special class. These terms are used for migration purposes only.
For licencing purposes, there are basically two types of electrician, electrical fitter which,is in its simplest description, is a maintenance spark and, electrical mechanic which is an installation spark.
The mechanic is the more highly regarded of the two as you are restricted to certain types of work on a fitter's licence.
As your husband was assessed by the TRA and, presumably not issued with an OTSR, he will have to apply for an ARTC once you have your PR visa.
From posts made by other sparks deemed special class it is highly likely that he will be granted an ARTC as an electrical fitter. Personally, I find this a bit daft as he has probably worked on systems of a more complex nature than a general electrician would and would be granted a lower grade of licence.
Anyway, if your OH has any installation experience, I would highlight this in your ARTC application in the hope that he is granted an ARTC for electrical mechanic.
If he is then he would fill in the form in the link provided above by Lloyd.
If he is granted a an ARTC as a fitter then he will need to fill in form R093.0710.pdf which I hope I've attached correctly.
Whether he would attend the same type of course as an electrical mechanic I do not know. It may be best to contact energy safety by email pre-emptively to find out the requirements for fitters or wait until he gets the ARTC to see what grading he is awarded and take it from there.
Hope this helps in some way.
Regards Derren

If this helps in any way an ex colleague, who was in the same position as me (electrician special class) got recognised by his ARTC as an electrical mechanic & electrical fitter. I think on the application you can choose both, if you can supply the evidence that you have also carried out installation work alongside your maintenance !!