OilDigger

OK folks my background.
47 years young, Four year Control and instrumentation apprenticeship with HNC qualification. 18 years offshore Oil and Gas experience the last eight in production operations with a level 3 NVQ and city and guilds in hydrocarbon operations. Valid hazardous areas certificate, Huet, medical etc for offshore work.

Worked for one of the major Oil companies over the past eight years.

My visa was granted for the following skills assessment General Electronic Instrument Tradesperson, (ASCO) 4314-11.

Having gained the TRA and now done a lot of research it would appear almost impossible to work as a Instrument technician without the addition of a full electrical apprenticeship ! seems to be another one of those money making schemes that surrounds all electrical based disciplines entering Australia.

Fortunately I have a production background to fall back on now or I’m possibly looking at chasing supervisor or engineering positions, or working Singapore etc which is not the reason I chose to migrate.

I have read several of the posts from the Electricians looking at adding Instrumentation to their skills base but have any other tiffies gone along this route and what has been your experiences and outcomes?

Our relocation will be completed 17th February 2010.

The_Pom_From_Aus

OilDigger;

unfortunately the instrument license wont allow you to work in Australia at all doing electrical work, you would need to do an apprenticeship to gain the right quals.& thats would be a nightmare of 4 years then all exams

OilDigger

As I figured Arthur and I certainly won't be doing another aprenticeship, one was enough.

Are you speaking from experience ? if so what did you do to get round it.

Seems such a waste there are two SOL catergory's for instrumentation and yet you can't find work as either when you get to Aus.

The_Pom_From_Aus

OilDigger;

Im not talking from experience i know how the system works here thats all mate.
its a bastard of a job for people like you being stuck in limbo.

keel

Hello Oildigger(fellow Northumbrian)

I think your spot on with the appreciation of the difficulties with electrical licences.

Australians are more interested with foreign work experience than with local work experience.

I would aim at going for the supervisors/engineers positions. If not there are dozens of other positions in similar work in which you can operate without the licence.

From what I gather you can do most of the work you currently do but can not sign off/or do the final tie in on the job.

You probably already know this.

Keel

OilDigger

Keel,

Thanks for the reply and confirming some of which I thought I knew.

It's frustrating the way things are with the licenses in Aus but they have arrived at that position due to their own needs and reasons, it's not up to me to knock that just find my own way around it.

From all I've been told I shouldn't struggle to find work and will just need to be flexible and maybe take a career deflection, not new to me with the operations skills I've gained over the past eight years.

Sean_Bruce

Did you have any luck with finding a job?
I'm a fellow Tiffy and have just started the immigration process, im however only 23 so don't have quite the same experience as your good self, still had 5 years offshore experience in the oil and gas industry. I have noticed that all advertised jobs request a Electrical Grade A license.
I'm not interested in doing another apprenticeship!

Do you have any advice from your experience?

Cheers

Sean

OilDigger

Sean,

If your 23 and coming here to live I would suggest you think about doing an electrical apprenticeship, if you intend to stay in the Instro trade it will be your best option.

You will at least need to get a restricted license and the hazardous areas EEHA under your belt, but the electrical A grade is your best bet. Companies like Downers, Monodelphous, Kentz may well sponsor you to do this. It won't be easy but if you intend to work for the likes of woodside or chevron longer term then you will need to be an Inlec.

The alternative is to do a degree in instro or electrical engineering and find project work etc. Sorry to lay it to you this way but the electrical trades here are like no other and go or bad it's just the way it is. It also depends on the state your going to settle in, I understand victoria is the worst for work; WA or queensland may be better, because they currrently have big projects ongoing.

I have managed to get work on the Pluto LNG project, but they needed so many instro's I got a start. It's 4 weeks on and 1 at home. I'm working with many Inlecs some of which have done only 4 week instro courses! you can imagine the standard and we could debate the merits of dual trading forever and get nowhere, it's just the way it is here in Aus and I suggest due to your age you seriously think and taking electrical training.

Good luck whatever your decision.

dalecross

Hi guys im nearly 20 years old i just wondered if you had any more information you could share as i am under the impression its not to hard to get an apprenticeship doing electrical or engineering in australlia i am just finishin my second year in electrical engineering and struggling to find an apprenticeship in england and would love to live in australia but dont want to risk loosing my electrical experience .
Any information you guys have would be great thanks guys.

The_Pom_From_Aus

dalecross;
where did you get the impression that its easy to obtain an apprentiship in Australia, i can tell you now in every state there are loads of young people applying for apprentiship jobs in all trades most get rejected due to one thing or another & most companys can pick & choise the young people they want.

so who you got the info from i would be going back to them & give them a mouth full.

2 years ago NSW intervied some 3200 young people for plumbing they took 500, electrical in NSW interviewed 2700 took 400 and these are the building magnets.

Victoria its like gold getting an apprentiship just like any other state.
if you need more info on this then do a search for a real decent bloke in QLD called StevO he is very switched on & he may be able to give you more info, also email PEER training in south australia they have all the up to date info for all trades, you may be very surprised.??

you shall find that most Tafe's (Colleges) run whats called a 3 month pre-apprentiship course & almost all companys get in touch with the Tafe's to see who is decent & worth taking on but as i say the days of just rocking up for the 4 x years apprentiship are well gone.

sorry if you think this info is crap but im just being honest.

Arthur

dalecross

Ahh ok then thanks for the information anyways mate .

geoffuzz

I see this is an old thread, but am a little concerned with this whole discussion and am hoping someone is still reading this. I too am an Instrument tech, time served in the UK, qualified to HNC with further 8 years total work experience. I am working at the moment in Natural Gas Metering and am wondering if I can even get work with these qualifications in Australia. What kind of training is required in addition? If I need to study before I can work, then I'll be stuck. I haven't lodged an application with the trade recognition people yet. and to be honest dont' know if I should go for recognition of the trade (electronic instrument) or should go for technologist...