cordanuk

Hi Jim

Unfortunatly because you have already completed a OTSR you wont be allowed to apply for an ARTC.

And because of that you will have to do 12 months gap training. You will have to apply for an L grade Licence.

Depending on where you want to live that is.

Justin

The trouble is with Australia is you need to be earning top dollar to survive , with only a small amount of firms paying top dollar.

I'm sorry Paul I have to disagree with you there. You dont need top dollar to survive here!

You just need to adjust and budget appropriatley.

I'm struggling to find work as an L Grade and am trying allsorts of devious ways round getting my 12 months gap training in.

But at the end of the day everyone is in the same boat now.

ARTC holder are going to be told now or very shortly that they need to complete the 12 month gap and log, especialy when the national licence comes online.

Unfortunatly Australia has suffered with very poor migrants calling themselves electricians, I have seen them when we got agency sparks in the UK they turn up with a carrier bag with a couple of screwdrivers and a rusted up pair of pliers "that used to be his Dads" and thinks that he could do the job.

As it stands I dont know if I'll be going back into being a spark again. Trying to find jobs in project managment or sales instead.

Good Luck

Hi all

I went down the TRA Vicoria Uni route last year but got informed this year after visa grant that the method of assesment used by Vic Uni wasnt acceptable and have to have a practical assesment.

So now Ive landed I have to sit a practical assesment at thier campus.

Has anyone else been through this or am I alone?

Hi all I'm a bit confused what does otsr mean and will it be the same if your skills have been assessed by Tra rather than vetassess?

OTSR= Offshore Technical Skills Record

You need this to gain a visa if your going down the skilled route.

TRA= Trade Recognision Australia are the organisation that refer you to Vetassess (Independant company that assess candidates on their skills then reports back to TRA).

TRA will refer you to either Vetassess or Vic Uni for your skills assesment.

Justin

There is a way left!

1st step is to obtain an ARTC and gain a cert III in electrotechnology.

2nd apply via http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/Electricity-Professionals/Licensing-and-registration/Overseas-Qualifications this is the pathway to class A Licience.

Problems lie in the fact that you have to convince the TRA that you dont need to complete any Gap Training, or if you do then you should be able to comple the 170 hour course that EE-OZ specify http://www.ee-oz.com.au/content/view/82/115/.

But to obtain An ARTC the guild line are these http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/SkillsAssess/TRA/ARTC/Documents/ARTC_CriteriaAndGuidelines.pdf.

I know its confusing at the moment but there have been some severe shake ups.

I completed my OTSR with Vic Uni and TRA, and was informed this week that I would have to complete a practical examination on landing in Oz to obtain just the L Licience.

This is due to vic uni not following the "correct pathway model" laid out. Laid out by who?

So having spent $2500 on an OTSR that only gained me my visa I'm not even allowed to obtain my suppervised L Licience.

Any other thoughts are welcome. I mention Energysafe Vic due to the fact I'm heading for Victoria.

Justin

All the states are trying to harmonise the way they issue Liciences.

WA is the last state to sign up to the national agreement on the national licience.

Last year I did the TRA assesment for Electrician Special Class but was then refered to Melbourne Uni for the Skype interview.

3 Hours later i walked out of Glasgow college and was awarded Electrician General Class.. (Still dont know the difference).

But at the end of the interview I was told I would be allowed a supervised licience and after 12 months log book I could apply for an A licience.

The only way that I can see to obtain and A Licience would be to apply for an ARTC.

As after being awarded an ARTC would you gain the Electro Cert III needed for an A licience.

But to apply for an ARTC you have to be in country (Landed in OZ). These I think can take up to 3 months (but dont quote me on that).

If you go to the EE-OZ site it says all we need is 150 hours of gap training but that doesnt satisfy the Energsafe Vic people.

This is what ive been deliberating over for months now.

The actual Main goverment is saying somthing totaly different http://www.ee-oz.com.au/files/Skills%20Migration/Skills%20Migration_Link%207.pdf This says that we only need to complete 170 hours of gap training for cert III at a regeional taining org then as far as i read thats it. Nothing to do with log books. But it seems that the state guys are refusing to accept this for A grade licience.

Ive been taking the direct links to sites from TRA and Energysafe Vic so not just randomly making them up.

http://www.ee-oz.com.au/content/view/82/115/ this is the site that states we must complete gap training but not to do log book work.

I just feel they are being overzelous with the log book thing considering that some of us have been in the industry for over 20 years.

We go through all the ups and downs of being assesed on our trades and skills before we're even granted a visa then told at the end that its no good and we have to be a 4th year apprentice for 12 months.

I just wish there would be one organisation to stand up and say "Hey this is the way it has to be done and here is the route to follow!" and all states to agree upon.

Ive been on this rollercoaster now for over 18 months now and all the time the goal posts are being moved.

The australian goverment says that electricians are in shortage so why make us jump through so many hoops. Yes I know there are differences in instalation methods etc but these are quickly learnt and adopted. Any spark with half an ounce of sense would get to grips with.

Thanks for listening

rant over

Justin