6 Answers by experts - April 2021

1. Is unpaid leave counted as part of the required work experience?

No, it is not counted for this. For VETASSESS to consider your work experience, it must be paid as per the terms and conditions of your employment.

2. I cannot get an original statement of service. Is a soft/electronic copy  of a statement of service accepted for skills assessment purposes?

A soft copy issued electronically and directly from the organisation may be accepted. It should carry official company logos, signatures of your employer or a person who is authorised by your employer, and official contact details of the organisation.

3. I work irregular hours per week – some weeks fewer than 20 hours and some weeks more. Will this be averaged out to meet the minimum of 20 hours per week for the required duration? 

No, it won't be averaged out. For skills assessment purposes, full-time work is paid employment performed for a minimum of 20 hours per week. Irregular periods that average out to 20 hours per week over a year will not be considered. For example, if you worked 12 hours per week over a three-month period and then worked 40 hours per week over seven months, only the seven-month period would be considered.

4. Am I required to outline and submit all the qualifications that I have achieved – even those that may not be relevant to my selected occupation?

It is important to list, at a minimum, your post-secondary qualifications that you believe are relevant to your occupation as this may have an impact on your assessment. You should submit documents for the qualifications you want us to assess. We also recommend listing any relevant short/non-academic/licensing/professional development courses, certificates and achievements in the personal details section of the online form as well as in your CV. Any qualifications that are not listed in the application form will not be considered for formal skills assessment.

5. How does VETASSESS assess ‘not elsewhere classified’ (NEC) occupations?

NEC occupations relate to a particular field or industry within an ANZSCO unit group e.g. when nominating 234599 Life Scientists nec, your employment should at a minimum meet the ANZSCO Unit group description of 2345 Life Scientists, including demonstrated same skill set/skill level as indicated within the Unit Goup. To be considered for an nec occupation, your primary employment position should also best match or align with an occupation specified under the NEC code or not already classified’ elsewhere in ANZSCO. For employment that is similar in nature or expertise to other occupations listed within a Unit Group, but not elsewhere classified (nec) in ANZSCO, applicants can consider an nec classification. For nec occupations, we conduct a case-by-case assessment to determine whether the employment is highly relevant to the classification. If an applicant’s employment is highly relevant to another ANZSCO occupation, the same period of employment cannot be assessed suitably against the nec classification.

6. For evidence of paid employment, I am paid in cash. Is this acceptable?

If an applicant is paid in cash, or official payment evidence is unavailable, we may consider other types of evidence, such as electronic funds transfer directly from your employer. To avoid any doubt, please note that in many instances where applicants are paid in cash and no other official form of evidence can be provided, this will fail to meet the requirements for your employment claims. This is because cash payments often cannot be independently verified, and this limits our ability to determine your employment claims.