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| New assessment requirements for the General Skilled Migration program | |||||
| Changes to assessment requirements for General Skilled Migration (general occupations) | |||||
| Changes to the Australian Government’s requirements for the General Skilled Migration program mean that, from 1 January 2010, the assessment process for generalist occupations will be broadened to include employment history as well as qualifications. This will give a better picture of an applicant’s work capabilities and will ensure that, when they arrive in Australia, they will have a higher standard of job-readiness. In turn, this will have a positive impact on critical areas of skill shortage. VETASSESS undertakes assessments for over 200 generalist occupations for people applying to migrate to Australia under the General Skilled Migration and Employer Nomination Schemes. The generalist occupations include managerial, administrative, professional and associate professional occupations. To receive a positive assessment, applicants will now need:
2. at least one year of relevant employment in their occupation (for some occupations, if there is a shortfall in content relevance of a qualification, either one or two additional years of employment is required). | |||||
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| The Multiple Assessment Pathway project, which involves VETASSESS working with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) in Canada to introduce a competency based assessment system, is now moving into its second stage. In 2008, VETASSESS was contracted by the ITA to develop and pilot an assessment system that would recognise the skills of workers in a number of trades. The first stage of the project, piloting the assessment system for cooks, involved VETASSESS staff developing competency standards in conjunction with ITA staff and practising cooks/chefs and training instructors. The second stage involves piloting the system for heavy duty equipment technicians, this time with industry specialists developing the standards and VETASSESS participating as expert advisors. While the first stage of the project was conducted in British Columbia, the second stage is being piloted nationally across all provinces in Canada with the ITA, the Human Resource and Skills Development Council and industry representatives from each province. | ||
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Stage 2 will follow similar steps to Stage 1, including the development of competency standards for the heavy duty equipment technicians trade and the development of assessment methodologies and resources. The interest in a new assessment system in Canada stems from a need to develop alternative approaches to recognising people’s skills and knowledge. At present, people who have completed an apprenticeship receive a provincially-based qualification. To receive national recognition as a qualified tradesperson, they need to provide evidence of time worked in a trade and sit a multiple choice examination known as the ‘Red Seal’. This pathway is also the only option for people who have had a number of years in industry but have received no formal apprenticeship training. | |
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The second trade is being piloted under the auspices of the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship. A working party that includes representatives from all provinces across Canada has been established to monitor the project and ensure quality objectives are met for the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement. |
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 | VETASSESS was recently approved by the Australian Government to conduct formal skills assessments for the temporary Subclass 457 Business (Long Stay) visa program. This work is in response to government changes to the temporary 457 visas, which now require applicants in specified trades and countries to undertake an assessment of their skills as part of their visa application. VETASSESS is well placed to undertake the project because of its considerable international assessment experience. New and innovative ways to assess people in their country of origin have been developed, specifically for this project to assist in implementing recognition of prior learning against Australian Certificate III qualifications and standards. | |
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There is also an increase in the number of occupations being assessed, with selected occupations in the construction, engineering, electrical, hospitality and automotive industries being added to the list. Individuals can apply for assessment directly to VETASSESS by paper or online, and track the progress of their application from start to finish. Employers can benefit from a special service available to those who wish to expand their workforce capabilities. Specialist VETASSESS staff provide a low-cost, high-quality service that is flexible and can be tailored to meet individual business needs. Skills assessment for the 457 visa involves four steps, which evaluate the skills and knowledge of applicants against Australian qualifications to determine competence. The stages are:
2. evidence assessment – applicants submit a portfolio of evidence of their work history to VETASSESS for evaluation by a qualified assessor 3. technical interview – if successful, applicants proceed to a technical interview held online (applicants remain in their country of residence) 4. assessment outcome – successful applicants receive a letter of completion and a nationally recognised qualification. Those who are unsuccessful receive a Statement of Attainment recording the units of competency they have attained. | ||
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Delegates from the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China visited VETASSESS in October to discuss options for future cooperation between the two organisations. VETASSESS is the first agent outside China authorised by the verification authorities under the Ministry of Education in China to verify the authenticity and recognition status of Chinese education qualifications. This service has proven to be very successful, and an approach from the Ministry of Health to discuss options for further expanding services in verifying a range of Chinese qualifications was welcome. "We have formed excellent relationships with Chinese verification authorities such as the Higher Education Student Information Consultancy and Employment Centre and the China Academic Degrees and Graduation Education Development Centre," said Karen Berkley, Executive Director of VETASSESS. "Expanding from provision of verification of educational qualifications to include Chinese professional and licensing qualifications will be an exciting development, and one that we are well-equipped to handle." | |
 | From left:: Karen Berkley (Executive Director, VETASSESS), Ms Yongping Wang (Professor, Shandong University), Ms Lei Zhang (Deputy Director), Mr Shengyu Chen (Deputy Division Director), Chris Zhu (Manager Chinese Verification Services, VETASSESS) and Sue Hamilton (Manager Skills Recognition, VETASSESS). |
| For more information about the verification of Chinese educational qualifications, call 9655 4801 or visit www.vetassess.com.au/migrate_to_australia/verify_chinese_documents.cfm | |
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These resources have received wide acclaim for the quality and detail of the content and are now available to other states and territories to purchase.
Assessment resources for the learner guides are also available on the VETASSESS online assessment system, assessitnow.com. Access to the system is available on a subscription basis.
VETASSESS also has an extensive suite of learner guides to support the delivery of Certificate II and Certificate III level qualifications from the (AUR05) Automotive Industry Training Package. These resources are available in hard copy and are very reasonably priced. The covers of the resources can be branded with the logo and image of RTOs that purchase the products.
For more information, call 9655 4801 or visit www.vetassess.com.au/resources/resources.cfm
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Just 10 weeks later, he now has an Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media in his portfolio, a real asset when he is seeking employment with national and international agents, casting directors and film production companies.
A colleague told Marc about the services that Skill Stores offer and it seemed like just what he was looking for.
"In this line of work, people move around a lot and do many different things," said Marc. "It's not a 'straight' career path, like law or medicine, but it’s still important to have a qualification to show future employers."
Marc had two meetings with his allocated Skills Store advisor to discuss his skills and experience.
"In Marc's case, there were a few challenges," said Robyn Baker, Skills Store consultant. "He had to consolidate a mountain of different creative film and television training and performance experiences and to show evidence of that experience. We were also aware that we needed to process his qualification in a timely manner to improve his employment prospects."
Marc had no knowledge of how recognition of prior learning worked, and didn't know what to expect.
"I was a bit nervous about the process, but Robyn was great. She was friendly, patient and empathetic – it was like having a personal coach," Marc said. "She explained everything to me very clearly and helped me to draw up a plan of action, in small steps that I thought were achievable, to gather evidence of my work and my skills and knowledge."
Robyn referred Marc to a TAFE institute for his assessment. This involved two meetings with an assessor who had expertise in this field. The assessor examined all Marc's evidence and interviewed him about aspects of his skills and knowledge. While the assessor found that Marc had most of the competencies required for the qualification, there was a small gap so he gave Marc an advertising task to complete. Marc completed this task, submitted it and the assessor found that the full requirements of the qualification had been met.
Marc was extremely happy with the result and also with the supportive and professional approach he experienced at the North West Skills Store.
"I needed to get my career focused and documented, and the Skills Store certainly helped me to do that," he said. "I now have a recognised qualification and a lot more knowledge about the education process. The qualification also means I can go into the second year of a university course in my field down the track."
"This will make all the difference to my career and to my future – I have a lot more options, thanks to the Skills Store."
| About the North Western Melbourne Skills Store |
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In Victoria, permanent residents can access friendly, expert advice on a range of vocational education and training options and turn their skills into nationally recognised qualifications through the North West Skills Store. Individuals can make a time to meet with a Skills Store consultant to discuss their current skills and how to have those skills recognised, and to develop a profile indicating how their skills match all or part of a qualification. They can also access course information training options and referrals to a local training organisation. Employers can contact the Skills Store to access professional skills recognition and training advice that will help develop and expand their businesses. The North West Skills Store operates across four locations:
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For more information, call 03 9655 4863 or visit
www.vetassess.com.au/skillsstore or www.skills.vic.gov.au/recognising-your-skills/locations
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 | ISSUED 18.12.09 |
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