If you are eligible for a Trade Skills Assessment and are confident you have the skills and knowledge outlined in the Fact Sheet for your occupation, you can apply online.

As part of the application process, you need to provide evidence of your employment, skills and knowledge. Your evidence must show you meet the minimum employment experience requirements for your nominated occupation:

• Licensed Trades - 6 years' employment experience (with no formal training)
• Licensed Trades - 4 years' employment experience (with relevant formal training)
• Non-licensed Trades - 5 years' employment experience (with no formal training)
• Non-licensed Trades - 3 years' employment experience (with relevant formal training)

Your evidence must show you have worked in your occupation for at least 12 months within the last 3 years and must be able to be verified.

For more information regarding the employment experience requirements for a Pathway 1 application, please refer to the Pathway 1 Employment Experience Guidelines.

After you have uploaded all relevant and verifiable evidence, you will pay for the first stage of the assessment. You will be required to submit payment directly to Trades Recognition Australia.

An assessor will review the evidence you provide to check you have sufficient employment experience and the skills and knowledge required to work in your occupation in Australia.

When reviewing your evidence, the assessor will conduct checks including calling your referees to confirm your evidence is genuine. Therefore you must make sure you provide us with current contact details.

If you have provided sufficient, appropriate evidence, you will be asked to pay the Stage 2 fee and complete a Practical Assessment and/or a Technical Interview. This fee is payable directly to Trades Recognition Australia.

In a Practical Assessment, you will complete a series of tasks while being watched by an assessor.

In a Technical Interview, an assessor will ask you a range of questions about the skills and knowledge required to work in your occupation.

All assessments are held in English and no interpreter is allowed.

If you are applying for a licensed occupation (Electrician, Plumber or Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic), then you MUST complete both a Technical Interview and a Practical Assessment.

For other occupations, you must complete a Technical Interview.

If your Trade Skills Assessment is successful, you will receive:

• a Successful Assessment Outcome letter
• an Australian Certificate III or IV qualification and Statement of Results (non-licensed occupations only)
• an Offshore Technical Skills Record (licensed occupations only).
  For information about how an OTSR holder can obtain a full qualification read the handout for your occupation: Electrician (General) and Electrician (Special Class), Plumber, and Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanic.

If your Trade Skills Assessment is unsuccessful, you will receive:

• an Unsuccessful Assessment Outcome letter
• a Statement of Results and Statement of Attainment (non-licensed occupations only).

If you are eligible for a Pathway 2 Trade Skills Assessment, you can apply online.

As part of the application process, you must provide:

• a copy of your Australian qualification (including a Statement of Results) OR your current Australian occupational licence. Refer to Frequently Asked Questions on this page to see what qualifications and licences are accepted - you must submit an accepted qualification/licence at the time of application.
• evidence you have worked in paid employment in your occupation for at least 3 years full-time (or part-time equivalent) at the skill level required. This evidence can include taxation records, annual payment summaries, group certificates, payslips and/or bank statements.
• evidence you have worked full-time in your occupation for 12 months in the last 3 years. For applicants applying with a current Australian occupational licence, this 12 months employment must be in Australia.

After you have uploaded all relevant and verifiable evidence, you will pay for the first stage of the assessment. You will be required to submit payment directly to Trades Recognition Australia.

An assessor will review the evidence you provide to check you have sufficient employment experience and your Australian qualification or occupational licence meets the Pathway 2 requirements.

When reviewing your evidence, the assessor will conduct checks including calling your referees to confirm your evidence is genuine. Therefore you must make sure you provide us with current contact details.

If you have provided sufficient, appropriate evidence, you will be asked to pay the Stage 2 fee and complete a Technical Interview. This fee is payable directly to Trades Recognition Australia.

In the Technical Interview, an assessor will ask you a range of questions about the skills and knowledge required to work in your occupation.

All assessments are held in English and no interpreter is allowed.

If your Pathway 2 Assessment is successful, you will receive:

• a Successful Assessment Outcome Letter.

If your Pathway 2 Assessment is unsuccessful, you will receive:

• an Unsuccessful Assessment Outcome Letter.

Please refer to the Offshore Technical Skills Record Information Sheet.

Please refer to the Pathway 2 Candidate Guide (327KB pdf) for a list of accepted Australian qualifications for each occupation assessed by VETASSESS.

You must provide one of the accepted qualifications listed for your nominated occupation at the time of application. If you do not provide an accepted qualification (or if you provide a qualification listed for an occupation different to the occupation you are applying for) at the time of application, you will receive a negative outcome and no refund will apply.

If you are currently licenced or registered to work as an electrician, plumber or refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanic in Australia, you may be eligible to apply to be assessed under Pathway 2.

For more information regarding the employment experience requirements for a Pathway 1 application, please refer to the Pathway 1 Employment Experience Guidelines.

Processing time varies depending on the skills assessment program and other factors, such as whether all required documentary evidence has been provided. You can find the approximate processing times in the relevant Applicant Guidelines available for different programs offered by TRA.

All fees for a skills assessment are paid directly to TRA. Check the Guidelines on the TRA website for information on fees and refunds.