Guide to Carpentry Skills Assessment and how to pass it
Every year, hundreds of skilled trades from around the world come to work in Australia. Here, you can have a rewarding career and earn great money.
Fortunately, Australian immigration makes it easy for skilled trades to get work visas. But to make sure you’re up to the task, you’ll have to pass a skills assessment.
In this blog, we’ll explain the carpentry skills assessment, what’s involved, and how you can pass it.
What’s a carpentry skills assessment?
To get a general skilled migration work visa for Australia, you’ll need to pass a skills assessment. A carpentry skills assessment looks at your previous studies and work experience as a carpenter.
The carpentry skills assessment is designed to make sure that you meet the Australian standards for carpentry work. You can do this skills assessment either overseas or in Australia.
You have to pass a skill assessment as the first step towards getting any type of work visa. But here are the three work visas you can get after your skills assessment:
- Skilled Independent (Subclass 189) or State Nomination (Subclass 190)
- Skilled Work Regional (Subclass 491)
- Permanent Employer-Sponsored (Subclass 186)
Who is Trades Recognition Australia?
Trades Recognition Australia (TRA) is the official Australian government service that does all of the skills assessments, including the one for carpentry.
They are the ones who will approve whether you’re qualified to work in Australia as a carpenter.
What are the requirements for skill assessment?
The skills assessment has three parts, including:
- Education. Usually, you need previous education as a carpenter in your home country. Your qualification needs to be equivalent to the Australian CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220). In Australia, the Certificate III in Carpentry is usually done over a 4 year apprenticeship. If you’re familiar with the UK system, this is equivalent to the NVQ Level 3 carpentry qualification.
- Previous Work Experience. In addition to the Certificate III in Carpentry or equivalent, you also need 3+ years work experience. This work experience has to take place after your qualification completion.
- Practical assessment. The practical assessment is not always necessary. The TRA will assess you on a case by case basis and let you know if you need to do the practical part.
Fast track: Study carpentry in Australia
As you can see, you need a lot of qualifications or previous work experience in your home country to pass your skills assessment and get your work via. But there’s an easier way to get your skills assessment…
If you study carpentry in Australia, for example, if you do a CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220), you can pass your skills assessment and get a work visa much faster. Through the government’s Job Ready Program (JPR), you can get your skills assessment just one year after you’ve earned your certificate.
Recognised Prior Learning
While it’s common to get a Certificate III in Carpentry in Australia, it’s also possible to get your skills assessment without this qualification.
If you have many years of industry experience on the job site, you can get recognition of prior learning (RPL). If you want to try for your skills assessment this way, you usually need around 6 years of work experience.
To get RPL, you can go to a registered school like Builders Academy Australia. We can work out what level of knowledge and experience you have and give you your RPL.
Tips for how to pass a carpentry skills assessment
Now that you know all about the carpentry skills assessment, here are our tips for passing.
Study in Australia
Completing your Certificate III in Carpentry is the fastest way to get your skills assessment and the best way to make sure you pass the test.
Choose a registered training organisation
There are heaps of schools out there offering trade courses, but you should choose a trusted school. Builders Academy Australia is officially registered, and we have a track record of training hundreds of carpenters in Australia.
Get support
One of the best things about studying with Builders Academy Australia is the support we give to our students. Our trainers can give you advice about passing the carpentry skills assessment.
Provide clear documentation
When it comes time for the skills assessment, you need to provide good documentation to show you are qualified. You need to provide:
- a full academic transcript
- apprenticeship documents, e.g. contracts, journal
- proof of previous employment, e.g. letters of reference, pay slips, employment contracts, bank statements or tax assessments
How to pass the carpentry skills assessment
Passing the carpentry skills assessment is your first step to getting your Australian work visa. While Australian immigration encourages people to work in Australia, you have to prove you have the knowledge and skills to do the job.
To prove you are ready to work as a fully qualified carpenter in Australia, you can show that you have qualifications from your home country or more than 6 years industry experience. But the quickest way to get this visa is to do your Certificate III in Carpentry in Australia with a registered provider like Builders Academy Australia.
Got questions about the CPC30220 Certificate III in Carpentry (CPC30220)? Give us a call today on 1300 534 363 (LEGEND) or complete the online form, and one of our course advisors will get in touch soon.
This article has been revised and republished on 23 May 2022.