ShoreyM

After finally getting his licence through PEER nearly 2 months ago we have been informed by Energy Safety in Perth that they can't transfer his SA licence into a WA using the mutual agreement, as he is classed as a fitter not a mechanic.
Could go on and on and am totally gutted at the moment but just a warning for others that might be considering this route.

jonnyd

whats the difference between a fitter and a mechanic?

steve`o

mech is a sparkie

fitter is a like a maintence spark, works on motors etc but nothing connected to the mains,

i`ll look for a more definative explanation

steve`o

what class of licence did he get from SA,
as i thought they were all electrical worker licences ?

ShoreyM

But in our case, he has worked on mains, installation etc. It's the way we were classed through TRA as the majority of his work was fault finding and fixing. We didn't appreciate the difference at the time otherwise we would have made more of his installation etc. Live and learn eh? Considering having his TRA re-graded. Has anyone done this? Is it the ball ache it seems?

His SA Licence states "Electrical Worker-Can perform any electrical work".

steve`o

thats what i thought so how did WA find out his "fitters" classification i didnt realise that you had to put the artc classifiation on the application ?

carnt he just work on his SA licence as it is valid in all states?

ShoreyM

After they had the app for 3 weeks they then asked for a copy of his TRA cert which specified Fitter.
He checked and he's not allowed to do a thing in WA on his SA Licence. We hoped he could use it as a restricted licence or something in the meantime, but it's worth nowt here.
Seems to have all changed in the past few months, we've just been very unlucky with the timing.

steve`o

he should be able to work under mutual agreement with his SA licence,

i`d be seeking advice here

What can I do if I am refused recognition of my licence in a second state or territory?
If a licensing authority makes a decision to refuse an application for mutual recognition of a licence, the applicant may seek a review of that decision by applying to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Contact details for the Tribunal, and information about the review process is available on the AAT website at http://www.aat.gov.au/


more info for you too look through
http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/EnergySaf...Licensing.html
last section ( wa website )

http://www.licencerecognition.gov.au/

http://www.licencerecognition.gov.au/LRSearch.aspx

hope you get it sorted

gobbyjock

Could it have anything to do with this ??(I`ve cut this from a post I made back in August)
Electrical Licensing Board concerned about forum shopping for a licence
Recently the Electrical Licensing
Board became aware that persons
were “shopping” for licences
around Australia. The purpose of
“shopping” around was to find a
state regulator who would issue
an Electrician’s Licence after they
attended a short bridging course.
These persons then applied for a
WA Electricians Licence under the
Mutual Recognition Act. Under this
Act the WA Electrical Licensing
Board is obliged to issue an
unrestricted Electrician’s Licence.
In most such cases, the applicant is
from overseas and presents initially
with an Australian Recognised
Trade Certificate issued by Trade
Recognition Australia stating
they are qualified as an electrical
fitter only. Clearly such applicants
will not have the required twelve

months practical installing

required to gain a full
WA licence.
The Electrical Licensing Board
is not satisfied that such licence
holders will have the level of
competence required for a WA
Electrician’s Licence. Accordingly,
in all such cases the Board
will require the licence holder
to undertake a competency
assessment. If the person fails
the assessment, his or her licence
will be suspended forthwith and
remain suspended until adequate
competency can be demonstrated.
Usually this will require gaining the
required twelve months of on-thejob
experience and successfully
completing the Electrical Trades
Licensing (ETL) Course at a
Registered Training Organisation.
The recommended approach for
such applicants is to complete
the 80-hour ETL Course at a
Registered Training Organisation.
The Licensing Office will then issue
the applicant a three-year Electrical
Worker’s Permit. This allows the
applicant to perform electrical fitting
work unsupervised and should
enable him or her to accumulate
twelve months of appropriate
electrical installing experience
under supervision on the job, while
gaining immediate employment.
After completing the experience
requirement they will then be
required to complete the ETL
Course again if they took longer
than two years to accumulate the
required installing experience.
Kevan McGill
CHAIRMAN
Electrical Licen sin g Boar d

The full bulletin is at:
http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/EnergySaf...ulletin_47.pdf
__________________

ShoreyM

Thanks Steve O.
We have discussed appealing but have been warned it will take a very very long time. So we've decided he might aswell sit another course and get his licence. We have no money left so we have to look at the quickest option.
They have said they are clamping down on the PEER route as people see it as the easy option. My husband assured him it wasn't but he's adamant. The reason we went through PEER was we couldn't get on a course for 6 months and his job as a service technician meant he never had a finishing time. It was impossible for him to commit to a college course as he finished late most nights. The only option was studying at home.
It used to be 2 types of A Grade licences. One for each (fitter or mech). However now there's only the one which covers both.
If he sits his course and passes, he'll be guaranteed his full licence. However, if he pushes it or applies for a restricted licence in the meantime, when he does apply for his full licence, he'd have to complete 12 months of log books etc. So, all in all, it's our only option really. The quicker he gets it the quicker he can start working properly again.

We've been here 15 months now so just need to get some money in.

Gobbyjock....It does indeed seem that article is correct. He said that most other states are now also doing the same. SA being the exception at the moment.

We live and learn but just wanted to warn others that might be looking at this route.

nigel and wendy

so this only applies if your ARTC is classed as fitter ....right?? so i take it if your ARTC is for mechanic then all is ok in WA?? only reason i ask is i`m just waiting for my SA liscence to come through the post and then change it for WA one.
My ARTC was for "electrical mechanic"

ShoreyM

Hi Nigel/Wendy

I think so, yes. Have not gone through the system as a mechanic but am pressuming from what they've said it's the fitters that are the problem.

Good luck with everything, hope you get transferred and sorted soon.

nigel and wendy

cheers

i`ll soon let ya know when it comes and i transfer it

SparkieEire

heys guys sorry for butting in, im on my 2nd year visa and just after getting regconised by the TRA as an electrical mechanic, i have the ATRC and waiting for the peer to send out da stuff books ects for the exam. im just wondering is the exam hard and is the pass rate generally good? ans if i heard correct i can apply to any state to work then under the general agreement? is it easy to get work then after that im generally domestic based? any help or information would be greatly appreciated cause the whole process is a head wrecker. wish i was a chippie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!