hasselhoff86

Hi folks,
Last month I applied for my ARTC as a electrical mechanic, unfortunately today TRA granted me with a artc electrical fitter.. The reason for this is because I never did my AM2 exam. To be honest I dont feel to bad because I have heard a lot of horror story's on this with people applying and not being granted any.
Can anybody help me as in which is the next step too take in gaining the Grade A licence, i am living in Perth.
I know alot of people that got granted a mechanical ARTC, go and sit the ETL course (2 weeks). Should I book in for the same course or is electrical fitter different?
Also on a WA grade A licence does it state Fitter or Mechanic on it? Is there any practical exams i could sit in WA that could change it too a mechanical licience instead of me having to fly home to sit a AM2 exam and replying to TRA?
All help is much appreciated folks thanks. Happy Christmas

colinmaclec

$2000 course and 1 years gap training with logbook and homework for you i am afraid. I am doing the same as i have vetassess so cant do the shortcut but there was an aussie in my class with a fitters license who had to do the above.

rinkerdink

Did they state categorically that was the reason? I'd be surprised if they knew what an AM2 exam was

Deyan

Do yourself a favor, go to Energy Safety (303 Sevenoaks Street
CANNINGTON WA 6107) and ask them what to do to obtain an A grade Electrical mechanic license.

Also on Energy safety web site is Electrician's licence application form for endorsed electrical fitting work only.

Good luck.

hasselhoff86

I just got off the phone too Energy safety, they told me too upgrade too a mechanical I have too sit the fitters course which is similar to the ETL, after completion I get the grade A fitters licence, then I can apply for a logbook from energy safety which I have to fill in for a year and have it signed from my employer etc.. Not sure if I have too complete exam at the end of this or if I can fill the logbook out quicker as in do more jobs... The girl on the phone didnt seem to know to much, so I am calling into them tomorrow to find out names of courses and prices from local TAFE's, hopefully price isn't 2000 bucks because thats double the price of ETL course..
As for question about AM2, am not 100% if this is the reason TRA refused too grant me mechanical.. I am guessing this because if I apply for JIB card back home without my AM2 exam they would issue me with 'maintenance electrician' but with the AM2 it would change to 'installation electrician' same as fitter and mechanical... As for employers references and question 10 etc,, I gave more than enough evidence of carrying out installation work plus alot of it was similar to friends who have been granted the mechanical.
TRA is closed for the holidays, as soon as they open I will be asking them for a review of my assessment outcome, so as soon as I get it I will keep use posted

rinkerdink

Good luck mate, you have my sympathy, another sparks on here was told he got the fitter shaft as his apprenticeship wasn't entirely installation work, like that's a disadvantage and not an advantage in the real world . What I found galling was that the fitter/ mechanic aspect only came into play after you have been assessed as qualified enough for migration purposes as a Australian standard electrician and then only in the states where they distinguish between the different classes of electrician.

I'm over it now but like I say you have my sympathy! Only thing i'd be concerned about is how restrictive the electrical fitters licence will be, I remember reading somewhere that WA are particularly tight about what you can and can't work on/ with.

I hope it works out well for you

colinmaclec

I am pretty sure it will be the same course as us lucky vetassess sparks do as like i said i had fitters in my class too. I was pretty pissed about it at first as it changed 2 weeks before i received my electrical workers permit and i actually applied before the changes but got put on the first batch of the new system, but you just have to get on with it and jump through the hoops. Some people have been lucky and just had to do the ETL course. They certainly don't make it easy for us.

hasselhoff86

Does anybody know if you can be sponsored with a fitters ARTC??
I am here 3 months now on a working holiday visa. I am willing to sit the fitters course and 1 year gap training to upgrade to electrician grade A licence. My employer is willing to sponsor me, , but im not sure if electrical fitter is equivalent to any of the occupations on the 457 visa list, would he just sponser me under general electrician.. I spoke to migration and they just said it has to be on list, really unhelpful
I can only work with my employer for another 4 months so cant do 1 year logbook unless he can sponsor...
Sorry use have to put up with my amateur questions but its really frying me at this stage . All helps appreciated folks

hasselhoff86

Als I am hearing lots of storys about british and irish electricians in sydney etc on working holiday visas and getting sponsored with no artc etc... Surely there must be loop holes??

colinmaclec

You can be sponsored as a fitter, sparks that work in factory's doing maintenance are fitters. There are loopholes still in WA but you need the Mechanic TRA. I believe you can work without any license in NSW. There may be a loophole in SA but as far as i am aware you cant swap it for a WA license unless you have held it for a year now. The whole system is a mess and its easier if you are on a WHV than a permanent resident( who generally will be older and more experienced). It changes all the time as well but if your employer will sponsor you then that's fine just do the gap training and get your license. I am hopeful my gap training will be complete in 7 months total as i work overtime a lot, although i am sure there will end up being some kind of delay with the trade test and me actually being given the license but only time will tell!

hasselhoff86

Thanks for the info colin, i have heard alot of horror story from people arriving on vetesses, but i also know a few people that went artc way, they just never posted off there ostr cert when appying. If my employer is able to sponser me what can he sponsor me as?? There dosent seem to be 'maintenance electrician' on the 457 visa list?? Maybe he can still sponsor me under general electrician??

colinmaclec

It would be general electrician that covers both fitter and mechanic for PR so it will be the same for 457

rinkerdink

This the the "system" for you, there is no fitter or mechanic mentioned for migration purposes just electrician or maybe electrician special class (not sure if that still exists).

The reason for this as I understand it is that in some states, NSW and SA for certain there is no fitter or mechanic designation, you are either a electrician or you are not. Only some states WA and QLD differentiate between the two.
As of April this year you could do a correspondence course workbook through PEER in Adelaide and then complete the course, exams and assessments in Adelaide in a week. You get a "can carry out any electrical work" licence whether you had a mechanics or a fitters ARTC - I know this because I did it! I am in process of applying for the NSW licence under the mutual recognition scheme. You'll have to do some ringing to check this is still an option but it was and if it's still available it still is the fastest route to a licence.

People say it's a loop hole and shouldn't be allowed as it's too easy, that is just bs. I have spoken to people who did the hard yards in QLD and the exam and assessment process they described to me was exactly the same as I went through at PEER, only difference was I didn't need to fill in a log book as they recognised I was an electrician and assumed the base electrical knowledge that I had already proved so the logbook was unnecessary, it is just a case of getting up to speed with the Australian regs and testing procedures.

You read a lot of stories and opinions on here but the best thing you can do is pick up the phone and speak to the course providers, it changes all the time but all I can say is that the process I have described was valid as of April 2012! (And lots of people were saying don't do it!)

colinmaclec

I didn't say anything about it being too easy and we should all do gap training. If it was viable for me to do Peer i would have done it but it ain't so i am stuck with the long route. The whole system is stupid because if they really want us as sparks to be here there should be some courses in place we can do as part of our emigration process before we arrive so we don't all go through this different nonsense when we arrive especially when most of us who come on PR have family's to support. And its not just a log book its also distance learning and the capstone at the end of it, so it does cover the same work as the peer course but contains a lot more of it. The OP was asking about general electrician for the visa and i am sure it will be whether he is a mechanic or fitter seeing as there is no visa class for either

rinkerdink

I wasn't having a pop at you, just a general catalogue of some of the horse i've read on here over the years - you'll have come across a lot of it if you've read back through the threads. I was comparing QLD and SA assessments. I agree with you about the system but while different states in the same country manage their own systems what chance do you have.

Hopefully the national licencing when it arrives will make simpler for migrating electricians to work out the best way forward for their personal circumstances. I'm sure this is part of the objective. It is also an issue for Australians, my experience is they think the system is just as flawed and inconvenient as the average migrating electrician so we are not alone!