How to work as an electrician or get an electrical licence In Australia if you have a qualification from overseas ?
- By Ausinet International – 05 August 2020 – Australian Institute of Electrotechnology
Electricians play an important role in Australia’s trade industry, and the country is always on the lookout for qualified electricians to fill job openings.
If you have a qualification from overseas
- Step 1: Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR)
According to the Trades Recognition Australia website, Applicants who complete a skills assessment through a TRA-approved RTO for one of the licenced occupations listed below will be issued an OTSR:
- Electrician (General)
- Electrician (Special Class)
The OTSR records an applicant’s technical competencies that meet the level of requirement of the relevant qualification. The OTSR holder must still undertake Australian context gap training and a period of supervised employment in the specific trade to be awarded the Australian VET qualification for that occupation.
- Step 2 – Provisional licence
According to the Trades Recognition Australia website, overseas-trained tradespeople with an OTSR can apply for a provisional licence. A provisional licence holder can work in the relevant occupation alongside a supervisor while they complete the required context gap training. You need to apply to the relevant Electrical board of your state, and issuance of the provisional licence is subject to meeting other requirements.
Electrician (General) and Electrician (Special Class)
You can find detailed information on electrical licensing and context gap training for all states. Please take a look at the details per state below.
- Step 3 – Australian Context Gap Training
OTSR holders need to complete their Australian training to gain specific knowledge relevant to their occupation in Australia while working under a supervisor. Register with AUSINET to complete your Gap training. Details for each state are listed below.
- Step 4 – Get an Australian VET Qualification
See details per state at the end of this article.
- Step 5 – Apply for a current, identified Australian occupational licence
Getting a Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician is a prerequisite to get an Electrical licence.
Please remember that an electrical licence does not entitle the holder to work as a contractor. You need to undertake further training to get a Contractor’s licence. Please check with your state’s electrical board for the full details of the requirements.
Requirements for each state to get an electrical licence for OTSR holders - As of August 2020
To apply for a Permit to Work Under Supervision, OTSR holders wishing to work in the Northern Territory (NT) must contact the Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board, which controls the regulation and issuance of NT electrical licences.
Holders of a Permit to Work Under Supervision must:
- Enrol in and complete Australian context gap training and;
- Work under the supervision of a current and full electrician’s license holder for a minimum of twelve (12) months.
After successfully completing the Australian context gap training and supervised employment, applicants are eligible to apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
You can apply for an electrical licence once you complete your 4-year apprenticeship and receive your Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician.
For specific information about electrical licences in the Northern Territory, please get in touch with the Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board.
Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board
T: 08 8936 4079
E: Electrical.licensing@nt.gov.au
W: Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Board
To obtain an electrical work licence in Queensland OTSR holders must contact the Electrical Safety Office, the regulator responsible for issuing Queensland electrical licences.
- Applicants will be issued a twelve-month electrical work training permit to allow them to perform electrical work under the supervision of an appropriately licensed worker;
- Applicants must then complete the Australian context gap training with an approved RTO. On successful completion of the training applicants can apply for their Queensland licence;
Note: Applicants could be issued their qualification earlier than 12 months even though the permit issued is valid for a year.
For more specific information about electrical licences in Queensland, please contact the Electrical Safety Office.
Electrical Safety Office
T: 1300 632 993
E: Licensing.ProcessingServices@oir.qld.gov.au
W: Electrical Safety Office
To apply for an Electrician’s Provisional Licence, Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR) holders wishing to work in Western Australia (WA) must contact the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS), which is in charge of issuing WA electrical licences.
Holders of an OTSR must:
- Apply to DMIRS by completing the Application Form.
- obtain an approval letter from the DMIRS to attend an Electrical Licensing Board-approved WA-registered training organisation (RTO). This allows applicants to complete gap training, assessment and workplace experience for the Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician and,
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and full electrician’s licence for the period of the gap training.
Holders of an OTSR are eligible to apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician after successfully completing the Australian context gap training and supervised employment.
An applicant may apply for a full electrical licence after receiving the Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
Please get in touch with the following for more information on electrical licences in Western Australia:
Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
T: 08 6251 2000
E: energylicensing@dmirs.wa.gov.au
A: Locked Bag 100 EAST PERTH 6892
W: DMIRS
To apply for a Provisional Tradesperson Certificate, OTSR holders wishing to work in New South Wales (NSW) must contact New South Wales Fair Trading, which oversees regulations for issuing NSW electrical licences.
Holders of a Provisional Tradesperson Certificate must:
- enrol in and complete Australian context gap training and;
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and full electrician’s licence or qualified supervisor’s certificate for a minimum period of twelve (12) months.
Applicants can apply for a Certificate III Electrotechnology – Electrician in Construction after completing the Australian context gap training and supervised employment.
An applicant may apply for a full electrical licence after receiving their Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician and obtaining a Certificate of Proficiency from the NSW Vocational Training Review Panel.
Applicants should refer to the Electricians’ Licence classes and qualifications page to view the full requirements for obtaining a contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate.
For specific information about electrical licences in NSW, please contact NSW Fair Trading.
Fair Trading
T: 13 32 20
E: HBLicensing@customerservice.nsw.gov.au
W: NSW Fair Trading
To apply for a Supervised Workers Licence, OTSR holders wishing to work in Victoria must contact Energy Safe Victoria, who is the regulator responsible for issuing Victorian electrical licences.
Holders of a Supervised Workers Licence must:
- enrol in and complete Australian context gap training;
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and full electrician’s licence for a minimum period of twelve (12) months and;
- successfully complete the Licensed Electricians Theory (LET) and Licensed Electricians Practical (LEP) assessments.
After successfully completing the Australian context gap training and supervised employment, applicants are eligible to apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
An applicant may apply for a full electrical licence after receiving Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician and passing the LET and LEP licencing assessments.
For specific information about electrical licences in Victoria, please contact Energy Safe Victoria.
Energy Safe Victoria
T: 1800 815 721
E: licensing@energysafe.vic.gov.au
W: Energy Safe Victoria
To apply for a Restricted Electrical Worker Registration, OTSR holders wishing to work in South Australia (SA) must contact Consumer and Business Services South Australia, which regulates the issuance of SA electrical licences and registrations.
Holders of a Restricted Registration must:
- enrol in and complete Australian context gap training and;
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and full electrician’s registration.
After successfully completing the Australian context gap training, applicants are eligible to apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology-Electrician.
An applicant may apply for a full electrical registration after receiving Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
For specific information about electrical licences and registrations in South Australia, please contact Consumer and Business Services South Australia.
Consumer and Business Services South Australia
T: 131 882
E: occupational@sa.gov.au
W: CBS SA
To apply for a Provisional Licence, OTSR holders wishing to work in Tasmania must contact the Tasmanian Government Department of Justice, the regulator responsible for issuing Tasmanian electrical licences.
Holders of a Provisional Licence must:
- enrol in and complete Australian context gap training through TasTAFE and;
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and full electrician’s licence for a minimum of twelve (12) months.
Complete your context gap training and supervised employment then you will be eligible to apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
You can then apply for a full electrical licence after receiving the Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician (Electrical Practitioner Licence).
For specific information about electrical licences in Tasmania, please contact the Tasmanian Government Department of Justice.
Tasmanian Government Department of Justice
T: 1300 654 499
E: cbos.info@tas.gov.au
W: www.cbos.tas.gov.au (a division of DoJ)
To apply for an Unrestricted Permit Electrotechnology Systems, OTSR holders wishing to work in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) must contact Access Canberra who is the regulator responsible for issuing ACT electrical licences.
Holders of an Unrestricted Permit Electrotechnology Systems must:
- enrol in and complete Australian context gap training;
- work under the supervision of a holder of a current and fully unrestricted Electrician’s licence for a minimum period of twelve (12) months, and;
- include a letter of need from the applicant’s employer stating:
i) the principal trade to which the incidental electrical work applies, and;
ii) the need for the restricted electrical permit or licence in that trade.
For permits, the letter must include the name and licence number of the person supervising the work.
On successfully completing the Australian context gap training and supervised employment, applicants can apply for a Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
An applicant may apply for an unrestricted electrical licence after receiving the Certificate III in Electrotechnology – Electrician.
For more specific information about electrical licences in the ACT, please contact Access Canberra.
Access Canberra
T: 02 6207 8096
E: cwpl@act.gov.au
W: Access Canberra
If you don’t have any qualification
Most states require proof of an electrical apprenticeship to issue a licence. An apprenticeship requires full-time work and study for 4 years. Only students with permanent residency or a visa allowing full-time work and study for at least four years can pursue a four-year electrical apprenticeship.
Please check specific requirements on the Electrical licensing website for each state. You can also check our other blog article: How to work as an electrician or get an electrical licence In Australia if you don’t have any qualifications.
All the above information has been taken from the Trades Recognition Australia website https://www.tradesrecognitionaustralia.gov.au/
Last reviewed date: 05/08/2020
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Overseas trained tradespeople who hold an OTSR are eligible to apply for a provisional licence. A provisional licence allows the holder to perform work in the licensed occupation under supervision while completing the Australian context gap training. A provisional licence can be obtained on application from Australian state and territory licensing regulators, subject to applicants meeting other non-skill requirements.
Good research
Helpful information for those planning to work in Australia
Thanks for listing all states’ regulations
Very helpful blog. Thanks a lot!
Thanks for giving a step-wise guidance
Really informative article. Thanks a lot!