woodymcfc

Hi Arthur, all good here thanks, how are you? I managed to get a start with a company without my license, they dont seem to be able to get hold of maintenance sparks with experience like I have over here in WA, good news for my job prospects......lets not talk about the derby, witout being biased I think the better team lost on that day, still a long way to go .....

The main reason why I wanted the mechanics ARTC was because you are able to sit a 2 week course that refreshes a lot of the stuff you did when you were an apprentice. When I sat the fitters license exam in WA you had no course you just turned up on the day and were confronted with questions like I mentioned. I rang energysafety to ask why we have to sit the exam with no availability to what the exam consists of, his answer was because energysafety dont have the funds for a course for a license that not many people apply for !!!!!!!!!!!! Also if I decide to go down the install route then I have the license !!!!! I was told by the same person at energysafety, who by the way was clued up, not like a lot of administrative people you deal with in this process, that the fitters license exam was aimed at people who have been involved in a Navy or mining apprenticeship !!!!! the whole process really is a cock up and if Australia do really have a shortage of skilled tradies these organisations need a right good kick up the arse !!! Derren7 was correct, you will get a job in WA with an electrical license restricted to fitting work only, thats all you need for us less intelligent maintenance sparks !!!!!!

When you apply for your ARTC it isnt the same form as for your skills assessment from TRA, thats why you see Electrical Mechanic and Electrical fitter. I am too from the same background, maintenance PLC's, SCADA, VSD's etc but although I didnt do too much install work I was capable, like most sparks with our background (17th edition regs certified). If you look at my previous posts on here you will realise what trouble I went through to obtain my mechanics ARTC and last month I was awarded that so now my ARTC says both electrcial fitter & electrical mechanic. sorry to say but You WILL NOT be awarded with your mechanics ARTC if you were assessed as an electrician special class. If you manage to convince TRA that the majority of your work was installation then you may get the opportunity to sit a trade test. This is not easy, questions that you get no preparation for and although the college tutor assessed me as a competent electrician, TRA thought otherwise. I did not get the required mark on sections of my trade test...you needed to get 75% on each section and for example there were 2 questions on lighting, I got one wrong therefore I failed that section !!!!!! The college couldn't believe it and were on my side but even they said TRA are impossible to deal with !!!! I had to do several courses in lighting, checking & testing etc....and with this I then applied again to TRA which is when I was awarded the Mechanics title. I stuck with the process as I knew what I was capable of, in total, from first applying it took just under 18 months to gain my Mechanics ARTC so now I am able to sit the ETL course in WA (JAN 2013) this will get me the unrestricted license. If you read other posts of mine you will realise that I wanted the 2 weeks course that the mechanics ARTC allows you to sit. Unless you know the answer to questions like : what is the minimum working pressure of ox-acytelene gas? then you may struggle to get your electrical fitters license in WA !!!!!

The only way to check your status through the online portal is go to the homepage of TRA here http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/SkillsAssess/TRA/Pages/default.aspx scroll down to the 'i need to check on the progress of my application heading' and click on the online portal link. I made TRA aware of the problem with other links to the portal on their site several times about 12 months ago, has anything been done about it ? has it f**k !!!!!

Still the same process as before, they have delayed the changes yet again !!! there has been talk of a national license for a few years now !!

Don't want to put a negative point on all this but I sent 2 statutory declarations, as worded above, sworn in a court of law and to be put it bluntly TRA still didn't believe my evidence. The organisation really is a law upon itself !!!

been deep in thought all day and pretty fooking miserable to tell you the truth, it really is hard to take to hear from someone that you can't do something here that you've been doing for 20yrs previously.... I thought that I'd done enough when I proved to Australia and in particular WA my skills only to be **** on when weve gone through what we have to get here !! On a lighter note thanks for your post, it did force me to smile ...

Well sat the exam today and all I can say is that no wonder WA has such a shortage of skilled electricians !!!!! Like I said previously I was given no idea of the contents of the theory exam except that it was an open book exam and that the answers are either in the ANZ wiring rules or the selection of cables book. I studied these books for several weeks, found them to be similar to the IEE wiring regulations in the UK, and thought that I would be able to answer most questions relating to these books. Got to the college this morning, opened the exam paper and found 40 questions that had no reference to any of the books that I had been studying and 10 questions that did relate to the wiring rules !!!!!! This exam was in 2 parts as above and a pass mark of 60% was required in each part. I have no doubt in my mind that the 10 questions in part B I have answered 100% correctly, the other 40 questions who knows !! I am a time served maintenance electrician with 20 years experience and maybe when I was studying at college all those years ago I may have been able to answer some of the questions relating to different types of motor and their characteristics + calculations, power factor equations etc... There were questions like 'what type of steel is usually used to manufacture the drive shaft of a small fractional KW electric motor ?' What part of a dc motor or generator will have the highest resistance ? there was even questions about what vernier calipers measured, which was one I answered !! What protective equipment should be worn on building sites ?? I wont be working on f##king building sites !!!! could an Australian trained electrician tell me the answer to a question relating to oxy-acetylene and the minimum pressure, answer in Kpa ???? forgive me but what the f#=k has that got to do with electrics !!!! Sorry if I sound dumb and some people will be able to answer the questions but without sounding arrogant, over the 20 years I have learnt to interrogate & program PLC's, input parameters in Variable speed drives, Build panels, overhaul motors, test motors + circuits, read electrical drawings, navigate software relating to machinery, install traywork, conduit, run swa and other cables of all sizes and terminate etc.....and now, if I do not get the required pass mark, energysafety will tell me I am incompetent !!!!!! The majority of questions you will not put into practice in today's industrial factories !! I had an interview the first week i arrived and the director of the company told me that industry in WA find it difficult to get the skills I have mentioned. If I do not get the required pass mark then I have the option of resitting the exam, different questions obviously, what will they ask me next time, a question about quantum physics ????????? Another thing that is so frustrating is that here in WA if you are an installation electrician (classed by TRA as an electrical mechanic) then for licensing purposes you attend a 2 week, 80hr course and at the end of that course you sit an exam, if successful you will obtain an unrestricted license that allows you to do any electrical work !!!!! please can someone tell me the logic in this !!!! Rant over, after all I may pass the exam but im not that confident...if I do then I then have to do the practical exam, what the hell will that involve, rocket propulsion !!!!!!

nope, its the electrical license (restricted to electrical fitting work) exam only that's required by energysafety... dont know what to expect, although I cant do installation work with the license, they want me to do an exam that is mainly related to electrical installation..??????? suppose I'll find out what the exam contains tomorrow !!!!

Hi Arthur, I'll be watchin it tonight at the pub with the Perth supporters club, not drinking though, need a clear head for the exam tomorrow !!!

Hi, has anyone sat the 3hr theory, 4hr practical electrical fitting exam that energysafety require for licensing, only done at polytechnic west ? Got the theory exam tomorrow, no course or information with regards to what's on the exam, just thrown in at the deep end !!! Have been told to bring with me the ANZ wiring rules and selection of cables book, its an open book exam so the answers are in front of you !!! I've done the IEE regs 16th & 17th edition in the UK but we always had a course prior to the exam.. Any pointers would be appreciated ??????????? Thanks

My understanding is that you get the A grade electrical license in both mechanic and fitter but with the fitter it says that you are restricted to fitting work only not sure 100% what the difference is exactlybut I know it relates to restrictions on connecting up to the mains !

Not got the mechanical ARTC yet, goes to committe next Wednesday. The practical involved isolating a 3 phase motor, disconnecting and reconnecting. Wiring up a flu and testing a domestic circuit, which is where I struggled a bit. Don't do domestic you see and I'm not 2391 inspection & testing qualified. Hopefully did enough to pass... Parts of the theory took me back 20 years also, most of it easy enough but other parts hard to remember.

Yes that's correct , the only place where the one day course for the a class license(restricted to fitting work only) is at polytechnic west, 4hr theory and 3hr practical. The theory is done every Monday and Friday and the practical once a month ! If you have the mechanic one (unrestricted) you can do the two week course. When I applied I put down fitter and mechanic (dual trade), TRA only gave me the fitters ARTC but asked me to sit a one day trade test (diffrent from the license course) to gain my mechanics ARTC. I am still waiting for the result from this. If I am successful then depending on timing for courses I'm hoping just to sit the 2 week ETL course to which I'll obtain my unrestricted license. I have said in the past, and no disrespect to installation electricians , in my opinion Energysafety and TRA seem to class installation sparks a better class when it comes to work, ask an installation spark to interrogate a PLC program or set up a variable speed drive and they wouldn't have a clue. Ask a maintenance spark to throw in a 50mm SWA with all traywork and connect up to the mains and they can do it, see where I'm coming from. These licensing rules apparently have not changed since the 1920's when maintenance sparks dealt with motors and nothing much else !

I have to apply for my license here in WA through energy safety, If you read my previous posts although I am an industrial maintenance electrician, I also carry out installation work but not domestic... My ARTC process has been a nightmare and is still ongoing. I have my electrical fitters ARTC to which I will be doing a one day course to gain my restricted license (fitting work only), I have been offered a job with this license in what I have been doing since I served my time 20 yrs ago. TRA will NOT issue an ARTC until you are in Oz. They require a copy of your stamped passport with date of entry.. Once you get your ARTC you can then apply to energy safety for your license. This application will take 4 weeks to process, because energy safety are apparently understaffed and overworked !! When you receive the letter from energy safety it will allow you to enrol on a course at your local tafe. For Electrical mechanic This is a 2 week electrical trade licensing course (IEE regs course in UK). Depending on the availability of courses you could be waiting for a long time, I have made enquiries only last week and the next available course here in WA is the end of MAY !!! With this letter you receive from Energysafety you also get a 'permit to work' this allows you to work supervised until you get your license, you have 12 months to get your license sorted with this..that is how it is in WA, I have spoken with one of the top dogs at Energysafety and this has been explained to me in detail... I got fed up with being given conflicting advice from the administrators at these places and eventually got to speak with someone who actually knew what they were talking about, hope this helps...

I have to apply for my license here in WA through energy safety, If you read my previous posts although I am an industrial maintenance electrician, I also carry out installation work but not domestic... My ARTC process has been a nightmare and is still ongoing. I have my electrical fitters ARTC to which I will be doing a one day course to gain my restricted license (fitting work only), I have been offered a job with this license in what I have been doing since I served my time 20 yrs ago. TRA will NOT issue an ARTC until you are in Oz. They require a copy of your stamped passport with date of entry.. Once you get your ARTC you can then apply to energy safety for your license. This application will take 4 weeks to process, because energy safety are apparently understaffed and overworked !! When you receive the letter from energy safety it will allow you to enrol on a course at your local tafe. This is a 2 week electrical trade licensing course (IEE regs course in UK). Depending on the availability of courses you could be waiting for a long time, I have made enquiries only last week and the next available course here in WA is the end of MAY !!! With this letter you receive from Energysafety you also get a 'permit to work' this allows you to work supervised until you get your license, you have 12 months to get your license sorted with this..that is how it is in WA, I have spoken with one of the top dogs at Energysafety and this has been explained to me in detail... I got fed up with being given conflicting advice from the administrators at these places and eventually got to speak with someone who actually knew what they were talking about, hope this helps...

This is true, I had to send a copy of my stamped passport with date of entry in for TRA to send out my ARTC.....

Hi all, not posted for a few week, as you can imagine there is still lots of forms to fill out, people to see and importantly having to find the best deals in the liquor stores when you first arrive in Oz !!! Our daughter went back to primary school for yr7 here in Perth. We have started to look at secondary colleges and have found one that has a very good reputation, only thing is that it is just outside the catchment area, just being a road away !!! We can put a out of boundaries application in so we have got together all reports, certificates etc from her last years at primary school in the uk.. Do you think that we should also attach a covering letter ? If so what sort of detail should I put in it? Thanks ....

Hi arthur, good to hear from you. Its hectic here at the moment, our priorities are getting a rental at the moment, we think that because we dont have jobs as yet then its getting us turned down for property, being told differently from the real estate agents. We have the funds but obviously eating into our savings. Ultimately you can put this down to TRA and energysafe f##king about with my license !!! I could have been earning now if it weren't for this so called organised body !!! I've tried going elsewhere but have been told by TRA that CET are the only ones that do this trade test and the next one is on the 7th March.....it really is a joke.......I called them and asked if there was anything I could do with my electrical fitters ARTC, one energysafety person told me to apply with that because at least I'll be able to start work, the other told me to wait for my mechanics ARTC because they are different courses to sit and it will cost a fortune, WTF !!! Would really like to speak with someone who actually knows whats best to do, they really are a useless bunch of morons, do me a favour mate and give them a call, see what they say ??? slight setback with the title challenge but we'll get back on track, shows how much we miss Ya Ya Toure !!!!

Thanks for that, Yes we did include statements, a uk one with £20k and a Oz one with $16k, hope its not the funds.....it does get worrying when you see how many people turn up, we were in with 7 other applications so must have been shortlisted........we have 2 more to look at on Thursday, fingers crossed !!!!

Can anyone tell me if they have managed to secure a rental without a job ? Both my wife and I have been state sponsored because we are both in high demand professions. I have had 2 job offers since we have been here just over 2 weeks and the OH is waiting for a response from a job that she applied for last week. We have sufficient funds in our accounts to cover minimum 12 months rent and I am a landlord of 5 properties myself in the UK. We have supplied all this info in our first application yesterday and have just been told that we weren't successful, we even offered to pay 12 weeks in advance. We have 2 possibly 3 weeks remaining in our holiday let and need to find somewhere suitable before then otherwise its a tent !!!!

I have been offered 2 jobs since I have been here, the 1st one wants to know what's happening with the licensing, I had an interview with the director of the firm and he is well aware how pathetic the whole licensing registration is and why WA struggle to find good knowledgeable electricians. The 2nd Job offer is coming back to me next week, they are a big international company who have taken on trades in the past on a supervised license until the unrestricted one was completed by the employee, hope this one comes off cause it really suits me with the shifts that are being offered. When I called energysafe the girl I spoke with initially sounded like she didn't know her arse from her elbow. I knew more than what she is getting paid to know. I only asked the next girl if there was any chance that I would be able to sit the trade test sooner elsewhere, my tone was polite because I dont believe you get anywhere shouting at people you want to do things for you ! The response was like I had just **** on her keyboard .... 'YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, I WONT TELL YOU ANYTHING UNTIL YOU HAVE AN APPLICATION IN BLAH BLAH BLAH' I explained that I have just arrived in the country and that the process with TRA has been going on since June of last year and if possible I would like to arrange my license sooner rather than later because I have a family to support, NOTHING not a' sorry buts its not possible' or 'I sympathise with your position but there's nothing that can be done' sweet FA...........I think I'm going to nominate her for customer relations employee of the year in WA Energysafe !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you get anywhere with TRA and energysafe then you may be one of the lucky ones. Employers are aware of the problems here regarding licensing and only yesterday the quote of 'the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing' was used by one employer on the phone to me. Like I said, when you arrive you will have at least a 4 week wait until energysafe process your application, that's if you have your ARTC through. Until you get this application accepted you will NOT be able to book onto a course, then the course availability is anyone's guess, you may be lucky and time it when there is a course available that week then you may not and the next available course may be in 2 months. Goon luck, your gonna need it !!!! And i'm an optimist !!!!!!!

The plot thickens !!! arranged the 1 day trade test, for the 6th March !!!! cant get it any sooner....really is taking the piss now.. realistically could be at least another 14-16 weeks before i can enrol on the wiring course, and I'm here in Perth !!!! TRA received my initial application on the 7th June 2011, are they for real !!!!

Just to give you an update here's a couple of posts that i put up on another site.......... Ok I'm here now and I can give you an update on how frustrating the licensing registration is !!!! As you may or may not know, TRA have requested that I do a 1 day Trade test which I am hoping to organise on Monday (got the email letter with contact details on today). I got offered a job within 4 days of getting here on a decent wage working shifts, which I want. So as to not lose this opportunity I though I'd call energysafe (licensing dept.) and see if I could get a head start with the course at cet, not happening !!!! Energysafe will NOT tell you any details of where the course will be, how much it will be, who to contact UNTIL you fill out their application form to apply for a license !!!! When you post the application, I was told by energysafe, it will take 4 weeks, thats four weeks, until you get a response, until then I cannot book onto a course !! I called into Jandakot CET just to have a word because I was in the area, they were very helpful but said that they dont have any available places on the course until APRIL anyhow !!! Although there are other places where you can do the course. so in my position I may not be able to start work for another 2-3 months because of TRA and Energysafe. I must admit though that the people at TRA are quite helpful, they dont make the final decision on whether you are an electrician or not its the Local committee and they are supposedly meant to be made up of local buisness people in the trade.......which trade, I really am starting to wonder !!!!!! BUT the sun is shining, the kids love it and my golf clubs will be here in another few weeks !!!!

Just to make you aware of charges at the other end once you get your quotes from the shipping companies. I am in Perth now and will be receiving my shipment of 545 cuft (16.28cbm) within the next few weeks. The first charge which I expected was the customs charge. The company that JM use in Perth have charged me $30 + gst per cbm thats $537.24, thats before customs have inspected the container. Now whats really got me is that only yesterday I received another invoice for a total of $64, this is for the customs duty of $9 for bedding that I bought new and declared, the other $50 is an administration charge by the company that JM uses in Perth. Forgive me if there is a lot more work that goes into typing a few figures into an online form but $50 !!!!!!! I have asked once I receive my goods that I also receive invoices for charges by customs and a seperate invoice that JM's perth company use for their charges, I will then take this up with JM because I believe that when you go with a particular shipping company you should be told in detail what your gonna get hit with once you arrive !!!!