What is an AQF III & Why Do I Need This?
If you are looking at this site, you are probably well aware of the current issues facing many tradespeople looking to migrate to Australia. We too have been acutely aware of the circumstances and we have spent several months in Australia searching for suitable Australian qualified and recognised providers to deliver an assessment package that will enable the award of an AQF Certificate III to successful applicants.
This will enable Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) applications to proceed under Pathway E of the Uniform Assessment Criteria (UAC). It will also provide applicants with the necessary documentation to begin work immediately upon entry in to Australia.
A common misconception is that a TRA Certificate on its own will permit you to work in many occupations – this is untrue as you will often not have the necessary health & safety knowledge to permit you to work. In fact, some migrants find that they are out of work for weeks and sometimes months following their arrival in to Australia because of this issue.
The General Manager of Training and Licensing of the Mobile Welding Services states;
“Migrants coming to Australia need to be aware that the TRA certificate they receive before migrating will not be of any benefit to them when looking to secure employment.
Within the Engineering and metal fabrication industry in Australia most workers are required to have an AQF Certificate III qualification to assist in obtaining work or applying for a licence, which is often a legal requirement. One of the prerequisites for obtaining a Trade contractors licence is an AQF Certificate III qualification.
It is recommended that this qualification be obtained prior to leaving for Australia as migrants currently in Australia are experiencing problems securing employment and are then coming to Master Builders looking for assistance and complaining that their agent never advised them it was necessary to obtain this qualification. If you are heading to Australia to the Engineering and metal fabrication industry, you will need the right qualification – we can help to achieve this.
Our qualification packages (tailored specifically for your needs), mean you get a helping hand through the entire process.”
So, what is an AQF Certificate III? Very simply, the Australian Qualifications Framework (commonly known as the AQF) is a unified system of national qualifications. The Framework is a highly visible, quality-assured national system of educational recognition which promotes lifelong learning and a seamless and diverse education and training system within Australia. The certificated system for tradespeople range from I – IV. Certificate III is the minimum standard needed to secure a positive skill assessment from TRA. Without it (and assuming that you do not have a 4 year formal apprenticeship), you are highly likely to never be eligible to migrate to Australia as a skilled migrant.
For those of you that are interested in the history of this TRA problem, please keep on reading……without warning on 4 September 2007, TRA removed Pathway D of the UAC therefore preventing applicants from applying that were reliant on work experience as opposed to having a 4-year formal apprenticeship. This single action effectively destroyed the skilled visa pathway for thousands of hopeful migrants.
Since September 2007, many have speculated that TRA would either re-introduce Pathway D or implement something similar to formally recognise work experience. Most in the industry felt that their prayers were answered with the proposed implementation of the Migration Assessment Policy (MAP) that was announced by TRA and was scheduled to be rolled out on 1 September 2008. A few days before this date, the plans were placed on hold to allow for further review. Then, in December 2008, TRA announced that the implementation of the MAP has been postponed indefinitely. This news is devastating to all of those hopeful migrants needing a change in TRA’s policy which looks ever-more unlikely to ever happen.
So, what does this mean in practice for the thousand’s of skilled tradespeople in the world that do not have a formal 4-year apprenticeship? Well, Mobile Welding Services has been set up to assist these very people. This website has been created to provide you with all of the relevant information to demonstrate how the process will work for your circumstances to help in the skill assessment stage of your emigration plans – it is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Interested? Register first to start the process.
