TRA

Updated on 01 Jun 2020

Description : 

Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) is a skills assessment service provider specialising in assessments for people with trade skills gained overseas or in Australia, for the purpose of migration and skills recognition in four Programmes

Job Ready Program
TSS Skills Assessment Program
Offshore Skills Assessment Program
Migration Skills Assessment

Job Ready Program (JRP)

The Job Ready Program (JRP) is for international student graduates who hold an Australian qualification issued by a CRICOS registered training organisation based on studies in Australia.

It is a four-step employment-based skills assessment program that provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate that your skills and job readiness are relevant to your nominated occupation, in an Australian workplace before you apply for migration in Australia.

• Step 1 - Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA)

• Step 2 - Job Ready Employment (JRE)

• Step 3 - Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA)

• Step 4 - Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA)

Step 1
The Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA) is the first step of the Job Ready Program. Under the PSA step, TRA verifies the authenticity of your Australian qualification and any employment and/or vocational placement you have undertaken in an Australian workplace.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for a PSA, you must have:

• held an international student visa to study in Australia
• a completed qualification relevant to an occupation assessed by TRA and awarded by a CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) registered training organisation and achieved as a result of study in Australia
• evidence of a minimum of 360 hours of employment and/or a vocational placement relevant to your qualification and nominated occupation that was completed in an Australian workplace within three years prior to submitting a PSA application online.

A successful PSA Outcome can be used to apply to the Department of Home Affairs for a Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485), if the occupation assessed appears on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List.

A successful PSA outcome is required before you can apply for Steps 2-4 of the JRP.

Step 2
The purpose of the Job Ready Employment (JRE) is to enable you to gain experience in an Australian workplace to further develop the skills relevant to your nominated occupation.

You must complete at least 1725 hours of paid employment over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE start date in an Australian workplace that has been approved by Trades Recognition Australia. Employment must be in the occupation, or one closely related to the one assessed in Step 1 - PSA. It is your responsibility to find suitable employment.

During your employment, you will be required to keep a monthly journal describing examples of the tasks and duties you are undertaking in your workplace relevant to your occupation.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for JRE, you must have:

• a successful PSA outcome, and

• hold or have lodged an application with the Department of Home Affairs for a visa that has full (unrestricted) work rights and is valid for no less than 12 months

• secured eligible employment (see section 2.2.8 of the JRP Applicant Guidelines.), and

• less than 4 months remaining on your student visa, if applicable.
  
  

Step 3
The Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA) is the third step of the JRP. The purpose of the JRWA is to determine whether you are operating at the required skill level in an Australian workplace for your nominated occupation.

The JRWA is conducted in your workplace by an assessor from a TRA-approved registered training organisation. The assessment will focus on the activities you have been required to perform during your employment, as recorded in your Quarterly Progress Reports (QPRs), Employment Verification Reports (EVRs) and any monthly journals submitted prior to 10 July 2019.

You must read the Guidelines before submitting a JRWA application.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a JRWA, you must have provided your TRA Liaison Officer (TRA LO) with:

• cceptable pay evidence to substantiate that you have been in paid employment for at least 863 hours, over a minimum of six months from your JRE start date

• acceptable QPRs, EVRs and journals covering a minimum of six months of employment.

You must also be actively in paid work for a period of at least one month with the employer who signs your signs your JRWA Summary Page.

Step 4
The Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA) is the fourth and final step of the JRP. When you have successfully completed Steps 1, 2 and 3 of the Job Ready Program you will be eligible to apply for a JRFA.

A successful JRFA provides you with a skills assessment outcome, required for an application to the Department of Home Affairs for a visa for independent skilled migration.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for a JRFA you must have:

• a successful Provisional Skills Assessment outcome (Step 1); and

• a successful Job Ready Workplace Assessment outcome (Step 3)

and provided your TRA  with:

• acceptable pay evidence to substantiate that you have been in  paid employment for at least 1725 hours over a minimum of 12 months from your JRE start date

• Quarterly Progress Reports, Employment Verification Report, and any monthly journals submitted prior to 10 July 2019 covering a minimum of six months of employment.

 

TSS Skills Assessment
The TSS Skills Assessment Program is an assessment pathway for applicants applying for a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa, who: 

• work in a nominated occupation and hold a passport from a nominated country or Special Administrative Region (SAR) as indicated in the table below;
• are required by the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) to have a skills assessment for temporary migration. 

A skills assessment determines if you have the skills and experience necessary to work in Australia at the trade level for your occupation.

There are two skills assessment pathways available under the TSS Skills Assessment Program:

Pathway 1 is for applicants that do not hold an Australian qualification in their trade. Skills assessments are conducted against the requirements of the relevant training package qualification for the nominated occupation. The Pathway 1 assessment process consists of four steps that must be completed sequentially.

Pathway 2 is for applicants who hold a:

• relevant Australian VET qualification; or 
• current identified Australian occupational licence*.

In addition to your qualification, you must be able to demonstrate work experience of at least three years full-time employment in a directly related occupation. This must include 12 months full-time paid employment in your nominated occupation in the three years prior to lodging your application. For applicants applying with a current identified Australian occupational licence the 12 months full-time paid employment must be in Australia.

* a current, identified Australian occupational licence is a registration certificate of other form of authorisation required under law to perform work that has been issued by the appropriate Australian licensing authority and is relevant to the nominated occupation.

Offshore Skills Assessment
The Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP) is for applicants applying for a skilled migration visa (excluding 485 or TSS visas). This assessment is compulsory for applicants from the nominated countries, Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and occupations listed in the table below. It is also compulsory for applicants in the following licensed occupations regardless of their country of origin:

• Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic,
• Electrician (General),
• Electrician (Special Class),
• Plumber (General).

Applicants for the OSAP are required to travel to an assessment centre in Australia or in a nominated country in the table listed below.

The OSAP is also available for applicants choosing to undertake a skills assessment in a non-licenced nominated occupation who can travel to Australia or a nominated country for a skills assessment.

There are two skills assessment pathways available under OSAP:

Pathway 1 is for applicants who do not hold an Australian qualification in their trade. Skills assessments are conducted against the requirements of the relevant training package qualification for the nominated occupation. The Pathway 1 assessment process consists of four steps that must be completed sequentially.

Pathway 2 is for applicants who hold a: 

• relevant Australian qualification; or
• current identified Australian occupational licence.*

In addition to your qualification, you must be able to demonstrate work experience of at least three years full-time employment in a directly related occupation. This must include 12 months full-time paid employment in your nominated occupation in the three years prior to lodging your application. For applicants applying with a current identified Australian occupational licence, the 12 months full-time paid employment must be in Australia.

*a current, identified Australian occupational licence is a registration certificate or other form of authorisation required under law to perform work that has been issued by the appropriate Australian licensing authority and is relevant to the nominated occupation.

Migration Skills Assessment

The Migration Skills Assessment Program (MSA) is for applicants applying for a permanent skilled migration visa in occupations and countries not covered by Registered Training Organisations (RTO) approved by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA).

It is a paper based skills assessment of your qualification/s and employment history to determine comparability with Australian standards for a skilled worker in your nominated occupation.

The MSA program is for migration purposes only. A successful MSA outcome does not result in the awarding of an Australian qualification and cannot be used for employment, licensing or qualification recognition purposes. If you wish to be assessed for an Australian qualification, you can choose to apply for a skills assessment through the Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP). To be eligible, you need to be applying in a OSAP nominated occupation and should be able to travel to Australia or an OSAP nominated country for a skills assessment by a TRA-approved RTO

From 27 March 2018, TRA requires all applicants applying for a skills assessment in one of the following licensed occupations: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic, Electrician (General), Electrician (Special Class) and Plumber (General), must be assessed by a TRA-approved RTO through the OSAP.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for the MSA program if your nominated occupation is: 

• listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) or the Short-term Skilled Occupations List (STSOL) on the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) website with TRA as the relevant skills assessing authority. 
• Relevant to your qualification and/or apprenticeship 
• Relevant to your employment.

Fees
Step 1 - Provisional Skills Assessment - $200
Provisional Skills Assessment review - $200
Step 2 - Job Ready Employment (JRE) - $450
Step 3 - Job Ready Workplace Assessment - $2540
Job Ready Workplace Assessment reassessment - $2,540
Step 4 - Job Ready Final Assessment - $65

Guidelines :

Apply Online:

Contact Details:

Phone (outside Australia) : [phone]
Phone (within Australia): 1 300 360 992
Email: [e-mail]
Enquiry line operates Monday to Friday 10.00 am to 12.00 pm and 1.00 pm to 4.00 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, excluding public holidays (GMT +10 hours).

Postal Address:

Trades Recognition Australia
Department of Education, Skills and Employment
GPO Box 3022
CANBERRA ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

Courier Address:

Trades Recognition Australia
Department of Education, Skills and Employment
Via Loading Dock
50 Marcus Clarke Street
CANBERRA ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

FAQ