SSC

Getting your qualifications slotted into an Australian Qualifications Framework is a great way of giving you a competitive edge in the ever-increasingly hardening job market.

You can do this one of two ways. You can either go to the AEI-NOOSR website and they will assess your qualifications and supply you with a letter stating that your qualification is equal to xxxx and state its Australian equivilent OR and this looks better on your resume arrange for you qualification to be mapped out against an Australian qualification and through RPL (recognition of prior learning) be awared an Australian qualification which you can then put on your resume.

This will give the impression that you have trained/obtained your qualification in Australia and hopefully help you get through the 1st selection round. If the person who is doing the selection doesn't understand the level to which you are qualified as there are so many candidates now they will just dismiss your resume.

If you are a plumber, electrician or air-conditioning engineer etc there is no need to do this as you will have to go through a licensing process when you arrive in Australia.

For example here are the licensing requirements for a plumber in Queensland
http://www.dip.qld.gov.au/plumbing/p...licensing.html

These can vary from state to state.

Also if your occupation is still candidate short there may be no benefit from going through this process.

It is good for individuals looking for jobs in the white collar sector.

Please also note that South Australia is now offering RPL of overseas qualifications as part of its settlement services.

Here are some of the services they offer

http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/centr...l_services.jsp

South Australia are doing more than any other state and offering more services than any other state for newly arrived skilled migrants. It's well worth visiting their website to see the support services on offer.

Here is the link

http://www.migration.sa.gov.au/centric/home.jsp

leave_n_on_a_Jet

im just doing an RPL course in NSW Plumbing, if you only want to work for someone else no probs you can get the cert 3 in about 6 months or so, if you want to work for yourself or setup a business you have to do the cert 4 each part is 6 months long 1 day or 2 nights at tafe, Gas, Water, Drainage, 1 year for Business principles.

You learn some very strange things as well, eg in Gas Cert 4 to test flues you use an old rag, light it blow it out then put it under the flue to test it works ok, (seems a bit iffy to me) where as in the UK we would first use a special Smoke match, if that gets a pass then a smoke bomb designed to release a controlled volume of smoke in a set time eg. 30 seconds.

The Oz way of doing it just seems a bit 3rd world to me.

J

wardy2

can I ask J as you are doing the cert 3 in plumbing we are in australia/qld and getting mixed opinions on what we have to do depending on who you ask.

My hubby is here as mechanical services and air con plumber which looking at the core elements and electives is taught on this course. In order to be a specialised plumber like mechanical services does he haveto complete every elective meaning drainage, roof plumbing, gas, sanitary, water etc or can you just pick 2 electives say for example mechanical services and water.

TAFE is saying one thing but skilling solutions (government training initiative type thing in qld) is saying another can you help???

Its driving me mad.

Any help would be fantastic

thanks

ray2gill

Hi SSC,

Can you tell me what the situation is regarding refrigeration engineers/mechanics (commercial not domestic) please. Our son is coming to Hervey Bay with family on a 136 visa in December this year.

He knows he will have to do a restricted Electrical course at Tafe.

Any info would be gratefully appreciated.

leave_n_on_a_Jet

Hi

im in NSW which may be a different system

but in short they have slip all the core parts, for a full plumbing licence you need all the core parts, else you can be just a roof plumber, water plumber, drain plumber, Gas plumber. each has different core parts required.

easier to prob look at what is required to get the licence that is needed, as that should say what you need regards to qualifications etc.

in NSW we get RPL (prior learning) so only have to do missing sections of each core.

There as also people on my course who have done the new vetas scheme, and have a licence, but not full, they are also having to do the missing core elements of cert 3, if they want cert 4 to be self employed they are having to do the cert4 in full.

J

wardy2

problem is you cant get a licence to just be a mechanical services and air con plumber, drainer/plumbers board dont issue one and its not recognised independently from refrigeration, which he doesnt do.

we are having a nightmare trying to get info of anyone (TAFE, RPL, licensing boards) although the stuff he does with heating, ventilation air handling units stuff is done on the plumbing course, he doesnt do all the other stuff like drainage, sanitary etc so it will took him absolutely ages to gain a full plumbing license, its such a crazy system. Although you can get licensed to work in the other areas of plumbing such as roof, water etc it seems you cant for mechanical services plumbing.

we dont know where to turn

thanks for your help anyway good luck with your course.

leave_n_on_a_Jet

what kind of mechanical services does your hubby do, Just so as i know we're talking about the same thing. Mechanical Services i done was along the line of fabricating things from metal, (some of the jobs from it can be Plumber, Boiler makers etc)

J

wardy2

This is the job description which fits perfectlyto what he does

fabricates and installs piping for steam, water and other services
installs small bore heating systems
installs ducting constructed from sheet materials for heating, ventilation and airconditioning (HVAC) systems and exhaust systems
assembles and installs fabricated components and equipment for mechanical services
assembles and installs machinery, air handling equipment and unitary air- conditioning equipment
installs flexible duct systems and air terminal devices
installs non-flammable medical gas systems
may carry out basic commissioning of air and water systems
install thermal or acoustic insulation materials to ducting, piping or air handling equipment
carry out leak testing of duct systems
carry out maintenance of mechanical services and airconditioning equipment

Having been given the breakdown list of what is taught on the plumbing course, all this is taught on there and he has ticked every box for that part of the plumbing course, so I cant understand why he cant get a licence for it.

Boilermaker is another option although he doesnt do structural steel.

leave_n_on_a_Jet

To get a licence he needs australian qualifications, cert 3 or cert 3 + Cert 4 to be self employed.

Where you said he ticked all the boxes, (where) He will need to do the RPL course to get the australian qualification to obtain the licence.

Most people do the Cert 3 (RPL) in 6 - 12 months at the tafe i go to.
the people who do it in 6 months normally goto tafe 4-5 days a week,
the other do about 2 days a week.

if you know the code number of one of the elements ticked or has to do, i can see if i have the papers on it, then email them to you, so you can see what is involved in that element.

i think i have all the cert 3 Gas, water, waste, Mechanical Services & roofing.
also got all the cert 4.

J