URGENT! Anyone taken a skills test in QLD?
#16
Just Joined

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 24


hi if you do contact a current affairs program I will be in it actually lets ask for others if they want to be apart of trying to put together a list of plumbers /gasengineers and there experiences and how we are being victimized by aus and nz

#17
Just Joined

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 24


Hey Pam,
Sorry to hear of all the problems you and your husband are having. I'm not sure what changes the VETASSESS process has made? When I received my classification from TRA it didn't help me to gain any licenses in Australia.
We arrived in Tassie 3 years ago and the Plumbers and Gasfitters wouln't recognise British quals, they would allow you to gain a provisional licence( go and work for $16 an hour for a plumbing company) which lasts a year and then set about gaining a full licence, not sure the time or costs involved but from experience I would say it wouldn't be easy or cheap. At this time Tassie didn't have a 'pathway' for recognising CORGI gas qualifications either. I was advised that I should discuss this with the Victorian Plumbers Federation.
If we have to go to all the trouble of having our qualifications and experience verfied by TRA shouldn't we then be granted a probationary license for a nominal period(6months?) during which time we would work for a plumbing/gasfitting contractor to allow us to gain the knowledge of different 'local' practices and standards whilst also proving that we are indeed qualified?
It's all very well the Aussie government saying they need skilled migrants, unfortunately most of the licensing/training issues are dealt with through the relevant state governments (Workplace Standards/TAFE),these departments are either unprepared or in some cases unwilling to help migrants. It is about time the federal and state departments sat down and got this mess sorted out!
Good luck, Peter
Sorry to hear of all the problems you and your husband are having. I'm not sure what changes the VETASSESS process has made? When I received my classification from TRA it didn't help me to gain any licenses in Australia.
We arrived in Tassie 3 years ago and the Plumbers and Gasfitters wouln't recognise British quals, they would allow you to gain a provisional licence( go and work for $16 an hour for a plumbing company) which lasts a year and then set about gaining a full licence, not sure the time or costs involved but from experience I would say it wouldn't be easy or cheap. At this time Tassie didn't have a 'pathway' for recognising CORGI gas qualifications either. I was advised that I should discuss this with the Victorian Plumbers Federation.
If we have to go to all the trouble of having our qualifications and experience verfied by TRA shouldn't we then be granted a probationary license for a nominal period(6months?) during which time we would work for a plumbing/gasfitting contractor to allow us to gain the knowledge of different 'local' practices and standards whilst also proving that we are indeed qualified?
It's all very well the Aussie government saying they need skilled migrants, unfortunately most of the licensing/training issues are dealt with through the relevant state governments (Workplace Standards/TAFE),these departments are either unprepared or in some cases unwilling to help migrants. It is about time the federal and state departments sat down and got this mess sorted out!
Good luck, Peter

#18
BE Enthusiast




Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 371









hi Peter it is the same in nz they encourage us to to come, tell us we can work just the same as in the uk then when we get here they dump us on a poorly run pgdb which is run by self important people, here in nz the new migrants want central htg so the plumbers are fitting old fashion substandard systems then with no htg experience they try to repair them the people need us with our experience to make sure they dont make the old mistakes that we made in the uk yrs ago example one pipe systems they dont have condensing boilers yet and nobody services there boilers in this second world country
I'm interested to see how the first 'VETASSES' people get on when they arrive in aus.

#19
Forum Regular


Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Launceston
Posts: 82









I presume you are in aus we are in nz and it is the same the pgdb is incompetent and doesnt know what it is doing they said to me that corgi wasnt any good and uk training is poor/ but training nz is crap ive talked to shane jones /john keys but they just seem bored:curse:

#20
Forum Regular


Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Launceston
Posts: 82









I really believe that it is about finding and persuading the right people who can make the changes.

#21
Forum Regular


Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Launceston
Posts: 82









hi Peter it is the same in nz they encourage us to to come, tell us we can work just the same as in the uk then when we get here they dump us on a poorly run pgdb which is run by self important people, here in nz the new migrants want central htg so the plumbers are fitting old fashion substandard systems then with no htg experience they try to repair them the people need us with our experience to make sure they dont make the old mistakes that we made in the uk yrs ago example one pipe systems they dont have condensing boilers yet and nobody services there boilers in this second world country

