2.3 Technical Skills Assessment

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If you are found to be successful at the documentary evidence stage, you will be required to participate in a technical assessment of your skills and knowledge, conducted by a qualified assessor who will also be a qualified tradesperson in your nominated occupation.

The assessor will focus on collecting evidence to determine if you are capable of undertaking the full range of tasks expected of a tradesperson in Australia for your nominated occupation.

This will involve a technical interview of skills and gathering evidence from nominated employers or other referees, which may include documentary, oral, pictorial and/or video evidence.

Before you apply for the Technical Skills Assessment, you are advised to speak directly with your nominated TRA-approved RTO about their technical assessment methods - including the venue locations to which you may have to travel. For the technical interview components, if the TRA-approved RTO deems it appropriate, the technical interview can be done online with an invigilator.

In order for a technical interview to be held with an applicant attending online, applicants must meet the minimum requirements, detailed below:

  • All online technical interviews must be conducted either on a laptop, notebook or desktop computer (smartphones and tablets will not be accepted) connected to a stable internet connection.
  • The internet connection must deliver a minimum of 10 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload speed
  • All technical assessments will be conducted in English without assistance. Interpreters are not permitted.

If an online technical interview fails (e.g., due to an unstable internet connection), then the applicant must attend an approved assessment venue in person to continue their technical interview and any other remaining components of the technical skills assessment, noting this may not be in the same country where the applicant lives. If the applicant refuses to comply with the request to attend an approved assessment venue, their application will be withdrawn by TRA and the technical interview payment will be forfeited.

The RTO will discuss the assessment requirements with you before conducting the assessment and you will need to agree that you can meet these requirements before you make a payment.

Before you can start your technical assessment, you must make a payment for the technical assessment through the TRA Online Portal. Your RTO will issue you with a payment identification code that you can use to make the payment. You will be able to log into the TRA Online Portal using the username and password you created when making a payment for the documentary evidence assessment.

2.3.1  Pathway 1

For applicants who do not have a relevant Australian VET qualification

The assessor will focus on collecting evidence to determine if you meet the requirements of the relevant VET qualification in the Australian Training Package for your nominated occupation. This will involve a technical interview and may involve a practical demonstration of skills and gathering evidence from any nominated employers or other referees.

If you are applying for one of the licensed occupations of Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic, Electrician (General), Electrician (Special Class) and Plumber (General), a practical demonstration of your skills is compulsory (referred to as a ‘practical assessment’).

2.3.2  Pathway 2

For applicants who have a relevant Australian VET qualification or a current, identified Australian occupational license (without restrictions)

The assessor will focus on collecting evidence to determine if you are capable of undertaking the full range of tasks expected of a tradesperson in Australia for your nominated occupation.

This will involve a technical interview of skills and gathering evidence from nominated employers or other referees.

2.3.3  Technical Skills Assessment Outcome

Once your technical assessment is complete, the RTO will forward either a successful or unsuccessful recommendation to TRA to make the final decision. Following TRA’s final decision on the RTO recommendation, the RTO will notify you of your outcome and issue you with the final documentation.

You will have met the standards set by TRA under OSAP if:

  • all evidence you have provided can be verified by the RTO as meeting the requirements for a successful skills assessment
  • you were successful in meeting the requirements of the technical assessment
  • TRA agrees with the RTO’s recommendation for a successful outcome.