No overseas qualifications are approved for licensing in NSW. Licence applicants who were trained outside Australia need to demonstrate they have the skills and knowledge necessary to get a licence or certificate.
Skills assessment
Licence applicants who were trained outside Australia should find a training organisation (RTO) for an assessment of their skills and knowledge for the licence classes relevant to their trade. Go to the licence classes and qualifications page for information on which trade you want to apply for.
Offshore Skilled Assessment Program (OSAP)
Some applicants might have come to Australia through the Commonwealth Government’s Offshore Skilled Assessment Program for selected countries and trade occupations. Details of the program can be found on the website of the program provider, Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). Any applicant issued with a qualification (approved for the issue of a licence or certificate) in the relevant trade through a TRA approved provider, may be eligible to be granted a contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate in the following:
- carpentry
- bricklaying
- joinery.
Go to the licence classes and qualifications page to view the approved qualification requirements for these categories.
Any applicant under the OSAP who is issued with an Off-Shore Technical Skills Record in the relevant trade from a TRA approved provider, may be eligible to be granted a provisional tradesperson certificate in the following:
- plumbing, drainage and gasfitting
- electrical, or
- airconditioning and refrigeration.
Note: A positive full skills assessment outcome is usually valid for three years from its issue date.
Provisional certificate conditions
Under the Program, the holder of a provisional tradesperson certificate must:
- work under the supervision of a current holder of the full licence or qualified supervisors certificate for the same trade, and
- be enrolled in an approved training course to undertake gap training towards the full licence or certificate.
A provisional tradesperson certificate is only issued for three years and cannot be renewed.
Current approved RTOs to undertake Gap Training:
- Plumbing, drainage, gasfitting and roof plumbing: see Master Plumbers Association (MPA Training) or TAFE NSW.
- Electrical: Electrician – Minimum Australian Context Gap, Course Code: 10809NAT. You can find RTOs that offer this course via training.gov.au/Training/Details/10809NAT
- Airconditioning and refrigeration: Refrigeration and Airconditioning – Minimum Australian Context Gap, Course Code: 80971ACT. You can find RTOs that offer this course via training.gov.au.
Go to the licence classes and qualifications page to view the requirements to get a contractor licence or qualified supervisor certificate.