andywilson19

today I had to go to peer to pick up some white cards for the company i work for and saw patrick the lecturer i had for the wiring regs course
he told me as from january anyone coming over cannot just do the wiring regs course and your artc then get a licence
he said your vetassess will class as a restricted licence then you will need to work on site for 12 months and do a log book also do a course of 5 modules which is at least 120 hours and the whole thing will cost about $2500 this will be the only way to get a 'A' grade licence dont know if this is just south australia or all states.

Wendy

All states as far as I know

andywilson19

he also said there would b no more exams for wiring regs before next year

Dougie

What a friggin bummer this is

If it wasn't diffilcult enough already to prove that you can do your job well enough then they throw this at us

This whole process is getting me down now! too worried to send my TRA application off when this last Damn employer gets my referene back to me i,m sick of pestering

But on the flip side of the coin, whats the difference in pay ?? think it is only about 2-3$per hour from what i have heard but i may be wrong

Dougie

Wendy

I think it depends on the employer really. My OH couldn't get work without his ARTC from anyone, and I know a lot of others that haven't been able to get work without a licence...mostly because of ignorance from employers.

I have to add though, that I do know others that have been able to get a job - anywhere from $20 per hour upwards (bear in mind though that I am on $22.50 and I'm just accounts/admin!) Mostly they are around $25 to $27 per hour.

somme

My OH couldn't get work without his A class must have phoned around 20 companies, all told him to phone back when he got his license

Thats on the sunshine coast

jonsparx

I think Stevo found some clause within the Aussie rules which said something like, although you may only have a restricted licence whereby you would need supervision, you can still work alone if you are deemed to be competent by the company or someone or something?? Bit vague I know but Im sure Stevo actually took the page to show his employer. Would help if he clarified that.

The Aussies know they`re on to a good thing, they`re making us look like c##nts.

kennymac

Correct me if i am wrong but is Australia not short of trades? Because to me with all the crap we have to go through and all the money we have to spend it looks like they do not want us over there.
I know they can't take any tom dick or harry who says "i am a spark" but for gods sake they want to think about it before making everyone shell out more money.

leeob77

i contacted the ocba in south australia about this and this was their reply:

Good afternoon Lee,



Unfortunately I have no information and am not aware of any licensing changes occurring in 2009. I have also spoken to my supervisor and he is unaware of any changes taking place at that time.



Once you have completed the Wiring Rules Course and Exam, come into our office immediately with your original ARTC and Wiring Rules Certificate, 100 points of identification (e.g. passport and drivers licence), and we can complete an application form on the spot in one day. Please be aware that there will be a fee of $350 which includes your licence for the next 3 years. Also, please ensure that all documentation is spelt in your full legal name.



Once the workers registration is granted (taking approximately 2-4 weeks), it will be automatically posted to your postal address. If you would like to change the address once you have lodged the application, please contact us immediately to update the necessary changes.





Many regards



(name removed)
LICENSING OFFICER
Business & Occupational Services
THE OFFICE OF CONSUMER
AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS
Government of South Australia
Telephone (08) 8204 9695

so what is going on?

lee.

steve`o

its in the electrical work safety act 2002

copied from an earlier post


the real problem does lie with the getting a job with a permit to train

some employers aren't interested, you carn`t do anything with these


some dont know the rules and think that you have to work under an australia qualified spark until you qualify,
this was said to me
"we carn`t afford to have two men doing the same job until you`ve passed the exam"
this isnt actully true i have spoken to the electrical safety office and they advised me to look into the electrical heath and safety rules

as supervision is required on a basis that is suitable to the level of the trainees ability,

CODE OF PRACTICE
E L E C T R I C A L W O R K E L E C T R I C A L S A F E T Y A C T 2 0 0 2
ELECTRICAL SAFETY OFFICE

(3) The level of supervision required under subsection (2) must be
appropriate, having regard to –
(a) the type of electrical work performed; and
(b) the adequacy of the training person’s training; and
(c) the competency of the training person.

(4) In this section –
“training person” means a person who is undertaking, but has not
finished –
(a) an apprenticeship under the Training and Employment Act
2000, in a calling that requires the person to perform electrical
work; or
(b) a training program approved by the chief executive that
requires the person to perform electrical work.

Supervision means the overseeing of workers, including trainees and
apprentices, to ensure risks to people and property are eliminated or at
least minimised. While a supervisor may perform audits, auditing should
not be seen as interchangeable with supervision.
Supervision of electrical work includes:
✱ Health and safety matters;
✱ Statutory compliance e.g. what work an apprentice or restricted
electrical worker is permitted to perform;
✱ Technical aspects e.g. compliance with AS/NZS 3000; and
✱ Implementation of a safe system of work.
✱ Generally, the two distinct styles of supervision are described as:
✱ Direct supervision means supervision occurs at all times on a direct
and constant basis; and
✱ General supervision means supervision where the worker does not
require the constant attendance of the supervisor.

we as sparkies albeit unlicenced come under the highlighted section
i took this along to an interview and after they had called to check this with the electrical safty office i got the job

and some employers arnt that fussy they just need sparkies
and are quite wiling to employ you on this basis usually for a couple of bucks short of the normal rate


i honestly dont see this as much of a problem if you phone around first and tell any prospective employer your an UK sparkie on a permit to train untill licenced you can weed the not intreseted blinkered ones out at the start and get your self some work


last bit honest


whilst the system is a pain in the arse and if you read back two years i was ranting about it too but having gone through the system i`ve been conviced that it is the way to go, we dont have any three month ive got new tools sparks, bob the builder carnt decide he`s a sparkie this week
( and we all know that this does happen in the UK ) as when he applies for a job the first thing they ask for is proof of your licence and is it in date so all in all it keeps the electrical wannabees and diy`ers out and helps preserve jobs for real sparks


regards steve

bkelly

This is indeed a pain in the arse! I arrived in Sydney 4 weeks ago and have nearly finished the ARTC application and should be ready to send it this week. When (or if) I got my restricted license I was then going to send off for a PEER workbook and in time sit the exam in SA.

I have so far applied for about 15 jobs and had 1 interview for an Electrical Trade Assistant at $26 an hour. The guy was very positive and told me he'd phone to confirm in a few days but i've not heard from him since and that was 2 weeks ago.

I had lost all hope of getting anything until i had a license but yesterday I met a UK spark who's license ran out 20 years ago and he's never had any bother working since. He gave me the number of an agency he's been with for 4 months and today I registered with them. They take on unlicenced uk sparks all the time and pay them $27 an hour.

I still want to get licenced though but at least I know that there is work out there for us unlicensed sparkies!

steve`o

are you going to post the agencies name

Jambo

I hope so!!
For all the genuine honest sparkies out there who are looking for work and who have been "duped" by the system.
Talk about complicated. !!!!!!
Even the Aussie don't know the procedures. I spoke to a lecturer at a college regarding electrical course and he replied

"Currently the process is changing and that you can receive an OTSR ??? (I'm not sure either) from TRA while in the UK and it will show how your experience and qualifications align to the competencies that make up an electrical mechanic licence. Sorry for coming across so vague - but it's new and I too (elec eng and electrician) are having difficulty to what I need to do to determine competence"

leeob77

so are we any the wiser as to rule changes for 2009?
my exam at peer is on the 5th and 6th of jan so i'll let you know what happens!

lee.

jonsparx

Yep thats the one stevo, Ta.
Emailed a few companies in Sydney yesterday just to see if they would be interested in a bloke with a restricted licence. Two replied asking virtually the same thing, what does the licence let you do and can you be supervised over the phone!

Anyway it might be worth sticking that Electricity at Work statement under an employers nose in an interview.