brian.w

Ok guys need your help i see there have been a few post about guys doing there assessment with vetassess,some of you pipefitters and some other trades.

Im a pipefitter from uk,who trained for almost 4 years with a well known company back in uk and the training board,with both on and off job training.This was about 20yrs ago.
I came to australia last year,lets not get into why been here a few times and wanted to give it a try.
I have had some jobs but not many and some have said you need to get your skills recognised,others including some employers i was with said its load of crap not really needed,so to be honest not really bothered with it.

One reason being pipefitter is a trade in eu,uk,usa and most other places but not here,and as i already have papers and did my time why need to pay and get them recongnised here,and pay for it also.
I also did the traveling thing back in 2004 and found it very easy to get work without any quals ie oz ones,But then i was not living here but traveling.so probably get away with it,but to be honest i thought as pipefitter was not a trade here and as i was one then not be required.But i do find that more and more employers are asking for them now or advertising with wanting this.
I even have been knocked back several times from one company asking if i have it and they say i can get a job unless i have it.

So i have decided i maybe better if i have it,if i remain in australia thats another thing, as its not been as planned so far due to lack of work,this maybe down to just not getting the jobs as i have not got the quals or just unlucky.It sure is nothing to do with experience.
If this australian quals opens more doors and finds me the work more then i will see if i wish to remain here but as of now,i have been talking about going back as never been out of work much back in uk.

My questions are,what do vetassess need from you i have all the stuff in front of me and it goes on about a load of things and a little confused about it all,my pipefitting goes back 21yrs,so how far they want me to go back?
When i decided to move here i did not get in as a pipefitter,i got in as a welder yes and im not even a welder,i did night classes in welding long ago and also one some old training scheme way back,i did put down as a metal fabricator but tra messed up and had me as a welder.
The guy who did my tra an agent for it said look dont worry about it, you have the points you needed and now you can apply for the visa,lets say its was all done by agents and an ex tra agent for the tra part.

As i said im far from a welder and im here now,could have been here years ago but came before my visa expired,im a qualified pipefitter and again i see my trade best matched as a metal fabricator and have talked online with others who where also pipefitters and passed as a metal fabricator.
As i have been in the game so long i have done many different duties and tasks some not even related to pipefitter or normally would have been done by other trades in the uk.
I have worked on some jobs here as a mechanical fitter as the so a lot of pipeys work,well they do what we do in uk.I also done a lot of plating work,again this maybe classed as a boilermaker here,and as said various other things.
As im a pipefitter thats what my quals are in and what i have mostly worked as.

I have when i applied for my visa all them letterhead letters from employers which im sure will be usefull but how many or how far back do they want me to go?I also have some pipefitting certs showing what modules was completed,i then have my craft cert,nvq level 3,ace card etc.I have my tra as a first class welder,lol and papers on welding that was used to apply for tra,but if it came down to picking up a welding machine and welding i probably struggle as been years ago since i did it.I have letter headed papers from other employers showng or saying i worked for them.

I take i would not add any jobs i have had in oz as not really been any pipefitting jobs,so really no point as be nothing to do with mechanical fitter.I have one or two references from a few years back,but have phone numbers from a couple of supervisor from uk just before i left to come here.
Some letters from oil companies on a good job well done and awarded a gift.
Photos well its not really something i have had done or needed to do,as in have someone take some while doing a job to see me complete it,but i have pics from newspapers,and a company photo from the training days,would this help my assessment?

I really have no tickets/licenses here apart from white card and my refresher for foet for offshore,i did used to have all them other things when in ok working at height,confined spaces etc etc,but they maybe expired now and my ex employer in uk might have some valid stuff on file still.I also have msic.

It goes on about reference template i take giving them my own reference from employers is all thats needed there and what is the third party reports?
Whats the self assessment qualifiations it mentions and self assessment questionare?

It also goes on about taxation records or payslips well before moving to oz i had lots going back many years but binned them,i may have like one p60 from before i left to come here,and who knows i maybe have but unsure yet some old pay slip in an email somewhere but if not is this really needed?
Bank statements is not really going to make much difference as i moved over here a year ago and so will they need me to get statements from when i was paid and if so when and how far back as i have been in this industry for 21 yrs,and some companies i know are no longer around.

I maybe looking into this in too much detail but i sure have the trade papers,and the letter head papers to cover many jobs over the years,but how deep do i need to dig or provide to them,it be great if someone who has been through this was to help me out a little.
God its like applying for a visa again but then i never did my own visa when coming over here i used an agent,and sure would not be for this as cant afford it.

Just need a little help on what you guys provided,i not looked into this in great detail but can this be done online or paper based and what did it cost im being told $1850 and did you get your quals without a tech interview or practical or was one a requirment?
Also im based in perth so if i had to go to say a venue and show what i can do where would this be? as by the looks of it they have moved from the places that was pretty close to me.

It does annoy me i even have to go this route,and pay this money etc but then there be a load of you guys who have thought the same but had to.

I may provide them with not enough stuff or too much and i really am not sure how much they want from me.
I believe some of you guys may have done this to get into australia for migration and some who are already here well im one thats already here so not sure if that makes any difference in what they require.

Sorry for the long post,but just needed to get my message out there.lol

old.sparkles

What is the ANZSCO code for pipefitter? Are you a fitter?

Have you spoken to a local TAFE who may be able to offer you RPL to an Australian qualification?

brian.w

fitter and pipefitter are two different things.thats what vetassess does rpl to oz quals.

old.sparkles

Vetassess can assess your skills but are limited to only some occupations the closest of which would be fitter - National Skills Recognition (Skills Assessment) - VETASSESS

Your local TAFE may have more scope to match your skills to a wider range of qualifications

brian.w

Well I have spoken to a few who have used vetassess and where pipefitters and got a metal fabricator qual? Just trying to get more info from them by posting on here.

old.sparkles

Have you completed the self assessment for metal fabricator?

Is this the qualification employers are looking for?

brian.w

Not sure if the quals are what employers are looking for pipey is not a trade here and have been told many have got there oz quals on metal fabricator. I did an apprenticeship years ago its a trade in many countries but not here and I think they are being silly now advertising for pipefitters but as if I have oz quals and then say they are needed.but as said they are the ones asking for them and will not take my uk quals.its a joke to be honest.

old.sparkles

If that's what they need then I guess that's what you have to do. Looking at what's required, can you meet that? Do the tasks of a pipefitter meet or exceed metal fabricator?

brian.w

Yes i believe it has and i did talk to a guy who i cant seem to get hold of now who used them and was a pipefitter and he has several mates also who where doing it.
But as i have probably said over and over on many a post,they dont see pipefitters as a trade here and any pipefitters who have done the training knows it is.
Im not a plumber as many have gone from that to pipefitter as better money.But it just annoyes me that the fact they want you to have the australian quals,why?As they dont see it as a trade.
They must be the only place on the planet that does not see it,give it 10yrs maybe and they might add it to the list.
Why they even bother advertising for pipefitters and when you apply for one you get knocked back as not australian quals,its just plain crazy to me.
So lets say i get the metal fabricator quals thats makes me a pipefitter.lol

To be honest if i knew all this might have not bothered coming here in the first place as its just plain silly.
Worked here 10yrs ago when traveling,ok i suppose its more relaxed doing this than living here,but then they did not even bother to ask for my quals and the place i went was glad of anyone as they could not get anyone,and half the guys they had did not have a clue.i applied for the job was not even in perth,finally got there and got the job 4 months later.
I think so much has changed here since then,much more people,more hassle in applying and finding work.

spouse of scouse

Brian, pipeys can still get jobs in Oz with their UK quals, as you know Scouse has done this offshore here for the past 24 years. I think the issue is more that the work is drying up (offshore work, anyway).

For example, Scouse worked with Transfield Whorley (now Transfield Services), who subbed for Woodside, for much of that time. He was always employed as permanent, until 2011 when he was paid out, then all his work was casual. He got his casual loading but of course no holidays etc - and the worst part was we could never plan things like trips because we never knew when he'd be asked to work.

Offshore work seems to now be primarily casual, when you can even get work. This applies from TAs right up to the bosses - one of Scouse's mates had been employed for over 15 years offshore in charge of day shift - he got paid out a few months ago and now is casual. They call it 'casualization of the work force' - in reality it is just a cost saving exercise. Towards the end, Scouse was seeing a trend to employ young, inexperienced men at much lower casual hourly rates that he was getting. The general consensus amongst the old hands was that they were useless

brian.w

Yes I can see that there is nowhere near as much work offshore here as back in North Sea where I have worked loads,but I also have done a lot of onshore site work as well.im getting nowhere really here onshore also.
Bechtel in qld 4 times have knocked me back and also under another position so 5 in total last one the said what quals did I have said craft cert in pipefitting and a nvq level 3,and not that it matter but myself and 6 others where the first ones in the to go through nvq.which back then was the cert they wanted us all to have and still today.
But no matter how many jobs I have tried nothing happens.i just thought getting a metal fabricator qual may help as some employers do ask more for au quals.
So making me a metal fabricator makes me a pipey? It sure does not I did my training to be one 21yrs ago and have all them years behind me.
I could probably go back to uk next week and get a job no hassles,but here I just don't have a clue what's going on.
I have even had a few jobs as a mechanical fitter here which some places don't worry about the qual and I'm even happier to do this as lots of fitters do a lot of what a pipey did anyway.
Not only that experience in say the boiler making side like steelwork,plating etc
I probably could go on.
It just puzzles me why I'm finding hard,we have till next June before second yr of lease is up if things don't improve then it's back we go.thats unless we go back sooner.
Many people would have given up by now I'm not sure why I have not also,wasting so much money and possibly more on a qual that might help or may not.

spouse of scouse

Brian, have you tried to get work on the Gorgon Project? This link

Contractor Profiles - Gorgon Jobs - Official recruitment site for the Gorgon Project

will take you to all the contractors who are recruiting for the project. Scouse particularly recommends that you contact Clough, Monadelphous, CBI and John Holland.

Two more ideas from Scouse - have you tried United Construction down in Kwinana - they employ pipies. Also, try to find out who's doing the spooling up for Barrow Island (Gorgon Project), and see if you can get a start with them.

There's no doubt that it's getting harder to find work in WA in the oil, gas and mining fields.

brian.w

Thanks for this but already had my details in before moving here for gorgon,got sick of trying often and getting told they be in touch,then they deleted my profile,did it again recently and got a few calls asking about some things in my profile and still nothing.
Have given my cv to a girl i met through facebook page who worked with one of the above companies and said she passed it on to someone else.Have tried john holland in past online and had emails saying not this time,and others i have tried with no reply.

I have been here over a year now and its been hard since day one,if i knew it be this hard would not have even bothered moving over here,ok the oil and gas industry in scotland goes busy and gets quiet next but in the 21yrs i been in the game back in scotland i not found it this hard or this hassle to get work.
Maybe time for me to think if australia is the place for me as,i could probably get a job next week in uk if i was there.

brian.w

Im wondering if most people how are in my line of used vetassess to gain oz trade cert or also to migrate to Australia or gain pr.I been told as I already have pr and only need a trade cert use rpl?As its much easier and less hassle, im sure vetassess offer both worlds for gaining pr and to get trade cert as well as trade cert only.I just wonder why they can take 6 weeks, when some places I know can give you the cert in a day.Whats the difference with vetassess vs rpl they give you the same cert right?Im about to send my stuff off to vetassess but now that I was told about rpl and can get cert in a day why bother with vetassess? Anyone give me advise on the above as there have im sure been many on here for migration and for trade cert used vetassess or rpl and why.

old.sparkles

I don't know much about your line of work, but most people use Vetassess for skills assessment prior to a visa application.

As you have PR and are only looking to get some Australian qualifications, surely you just need to find a suitable course at TAFE, and see how much you can pass with RPL.