SarahL

Hi John
Have been on TAFE website and getting more and more confused by the minute - I see you are in Queensland can you please tell me which campus you went to and which courses you took for electrical licence.

Thanks.

Sarah

weealbie

Hello.

Arthur is spot on with the licencing. Nobody will back an un licenced sparky up if things go wrong and nobody is perfect!!

As from the Electrical Safety Act QLD.

Part 4 Licences
Division 1 Requirements for electrical licences
55 Requirement for electrical work licence
(1) A person must not perform or supervise electrical work
unless—
(a) the person is the holder of an electrical work licence in
force under this Act; and
(b) the licence authorises the person to perform the work.
Maximum penalty—400 penalty units.
(2) Only an individual may be the holder of an electrical work
licence.

In my original post i have stated that for migration purposes DIMA require an electrician to best recognised as a 'GENERAL ELECTRICIAN' (asco code 4311-11). To obtain an electrical licence (in Queensland at least) you must first obtain a permit to work from the electrical safety office. The permit allows the bearer to work SUPERVISED as either 1)an electrical fitter 2)an electrical mechanic 3)electrical fitter / mechanic. There are other designated electrical trades but these seem to be the most popular according to TRA and DIMA.
You must then complete an approved training course with an SRTO (supervising registered training organisation). Once you have completed a course successfully your training officer will send a completion statement to the relevant licencing office who will then in turn assess the application and accept / refuse the application for an electrical licence.

All this can not be done if you are designated the title of General Electrician. You must have been recognised as either 1)an electrical fitter 2)an electrical mechanic 3)electrical fitter / mechanic.

I only know this because i have attended meetings with DIMA, spoken in depth with TRA regarding the whole issue and coordinated training with Brisbane North Institute of Tafe

The electrical licencing board are being extremely vigilant at present and are clamping down on unregistered workers.

A lot of these workers are people who have emigrated and do not fully understand the steps and procedures electricians have to abide by.

One of the latest cases in court is of a failed 4th year apprentice who bought a perfect copy of a Fitter Mechanic licence in Thailand and used it to work as an electrician. His work was of a suitable standard but, under the Australian legislation he was deemed to be working un-licenced and is facing 12 months in prison and a $30,000 fine (approx)! He was caught because he signed off an apprentices TAFE log book and his licence number was checked online.

Not worth working un licenced is it?

The rules and stipulations are different in different states. I have never ha a problem getting work as a sparky with and with out my licence however my boss did expect me to install, test and connect to supply using his number without him even looking at the work?

It's a great country to live in but it's a bloody hard one to obtain a full electrical licence when you first get here!! It does all come clear though and i hope some of my information will help.

For anyone moving to Quensland here are some helpful sites to get you started:

www.dir.qld.gov.au

http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplac...nitiatives/TRA

www.careerone.com.au

The_Pom_From_Aus

John, what is the ARTC things in that area have changes since i migrated.
Ive been here 10 years now and before i left the UK, i applied to the skills assessment division in London and they automatically awarded me the B grade from the UK. So i dont know if they are stil in existence but its worth a try for people.

if anyone is reading this forum, and you need your skill assessing, please do remember to make copies of all your quals, and any work diary's you may have they can be valuable when you want to get the B grade licence make sure all paper work is signed and dated to make the documents legal, and now I'm talking about all your City & Guild or ONC or HNC and more.

regards

Arthur

The_Pom_From_Aus

weelabie,

you are absolutely correct my friend in what you say regarding the whole issue of the licensing, NOT worth it at all, i found a massive difference in the whole installation when you com pair Australia to the UK, especially the MEN system and the RCD's connections again so different from the UK.

The knowledge one may obtain from the course prior to the exam is a must and in Victoria the pass mark for the entire exam is 75 % i can say this the people running the show here are B******S and they have a mentality in respect they love to fail people from the word go, and they tell you that when you attend the exam, i would recommend any spark to do the exam out of Victoria. its a bloody nightmare. saying that at the end of the knowledge you get is 1st class.

Imagine coming straight of the boat so to say and having to start to connect up switchboards with MEN and RCD's if you know sod all about it all, and driving earth rods into the ground.

at some stage my friend it would be nice for us both to have a chat regarding the standards and how it affects people migrating and the shock people have to go through in obtaining this license.

But at the end of the day its all in the name of safety, for us sparks our own safety.

regards

Arthur

Jockstar

So what you are saying is. That i gotta send all my letters and stuff again to TRA?

The_Pom_From_Aus

[make copies of all your qualifications from the UK have them signed and dated, thats all I'm saying, if you dont get an Australian qualification before you migrate you can then always visit the overseas unit in the state you decide to live in and they wont give you sod all if you dont have legal documentation even though you may have sent other departments your documents they are somewhat think in this respect white collar workers, if they cannot see the documents in from of them you get bugger all, so be organised and present them with the required qualifications and you wont go far wrong mate

Arthur

Jockstar

Got all my originals with me in Bangkok. So do i just sign them and date them? Or do i get a justice of the peace to confirm they true copies of the originals? Sorry for all the questions. But its good to know.

The_Pom_From_Aus

Jockstar, please for gods sake dont apologise if i can help in anyway then you just ask mate.

you "MUST" have all documentation signed by a justice of the peace or a police person of a ranking (minimum Sergeant) but the JP is the best bet.

when i did mine i had multiple copies i also had personal references from past employers and current employer when i was in the UK.

may i also add if you dont have any evidence of past of current work duties performed, then do a step by step CV detailing all work performed and dont forget to include all tools you may have used even if its a spanner you used the once you must add all tools used to perform a task.

i know you may think its a nightmare but you are talking about your future here, and if you make life easy for the people reading you application then they might just help you a little.

all this is only relevant if you are unable to present documentation of past work activities, in the government Dept's they love all this crap.

Arthur

Ballyharry01

Emigrated to Perth 2 weeks ago under skilled visa as a sparky and having huge frustration having to refill out TRA forms just to obtain certificate. Would anyone know of training courses in WA for the license exam, as having spoken to a spark already working here, he hasn't cracked a light about the possibility of courses to explain the change in standards. Speaking of standards what ive heard already about installation practises the TRA have a bloody cheek doubting the qualifications of British sparks. Any help would be hugely appreciated. Thanks

supersonic4

Hi Barryharry,its not easy is it? John was going to forget the whole thing a few times,he can't believe how the Australians assess the UK sparks.But saying that he's still doing what he has to do to get there.We are still in the UK,will be heading to QLD in the new year and are doing our,ARTC,notice I say "our" because I have worked on it as much as John.
Just read the posts on here and ask questions,nobody minds .
Cheers Lorri

supersonic4

Jockstar get them all certifed or they send them back,as we found out,didn't do them all and guess what back in the post wasting more money as we paid the courier £22 to send them and will have to do the same again to send them back.
Cheers Lorri

Nick11

Hi Tym
I have 14 years experience as eletrician but I have been out of the trade for the last nine years.Hope to land in Adelaide mid 2007,visa application allowing.Other options available but was hoping for possible return to installation work at whatever level.Any advice on coping with Aussie climate while WORKING ,ignoring beach and actually WORKING or sharing your hardfound info on how to cut through that broard Aussie red tape to allow me to work would be much appreciated.
Hope your enjoying the sun, sea and bbqs.
Iam NOT jellous
CHEERS Andy H.

supersonic4

yep!

remonjansen

hey Tym,

I'm remon Jansen from holland and I'd like to immigrate to Australia as a sparky. I and my girlfriend thinking to move over within 1,5 year. The biggets question is, would they reqonise my qualification?. I have an qualification for general electrician it's a study of 4 years with some practical exams. Ans how is the exam from the trade? are there big differents between Australia and europe(holland). and i read something about an eveningcourse from 12-15 weeks is it a hard job to pass for that exam for a dutchy?

I hope you will answer soon

best regards

R.Jansen

Katep

Hi Lorri

What is the ARTC and how can we obtain it? We are still in the UK and flying out in Jan.

Sounds as if i'm in the same boat as you, other half is the sparks but i've got to do all the paper work!

Cheers Kate