Contact us

Do you hold an overseas electrical qualification and/or experience and want to progress your career for Free?

The Electrotechnology Trades Assistant Upskilling Program is a joint initiative of the New South Wales Government and the Electrical Trade Union which provides a free upskilling pathway for Australian citizens and residents working in the NSW electrotechnology industry who hold electrical qualifications and/or experience gained overseas. 

Online enquires for the program have now closed.

About the Program

The Electrotechnology Trades Assistant Upskilling Program (ETAUP) is a joint initiative of the New South Wales Government Trade Pathways Innovation Fund and the Electrical Trade Union, with assistance from Energy Skills Australia.  

The ETAUP provides a quality, industry accepted skills recognition and upskilling pathway for Australian citizens and residents working in the NSW electrotechnology industry who hold electrical qualifications and/or experience gained overseas. It will result in the issuance of an Australian Qualification (UEE30820 Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician) and subsequent unrestricted electrical license.

Whilst the knowledge and skills of many overseas workers are extremely high, there are differences in the way this technical expertise needs to be applied. Under this program, if you meet the eligibility criteria, we will pay for you to gain the extra skills and knowledge you need to secure your Australian electrical qualification (UEE30820). 

What Is The Process

Once you have completed the enquiry form and are deemed eligible to start the program, there are three steps to this program: 

Step 1

Initial Assessment – this is where your overseas qualification and/or experience will be mapped against the technical aspects of UEE30820 by an approved Australian Technical Competencies Statement (ATCS) RTO

Step 2

Enroll with an approved Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This is who will deliver the Australian Minimum Context Gap Training   10809NAT Course in Electrician (Minimum Australian Context Gap)

Step 3

Provide workplace evidence gathered through the Exemplar Profiling tool, to record and track workplace exposure against the gap training units in 10809NAT 


Note: You must have access to an Australian workplace and work under supervision of a licenced electrician to do your workplace evidence. 

How Long Does It Take?

The ETAUP funding grant commenced in June 2023 and runs for 18 months. The initial assessment and gap training (including workplace evidence) will take 12 – 18months to complete. 

We will not be accepting applications and enquiries after 30 June 2024. 

What Is In It For You?

  • Free training
  • We will cover all training and assessment costs including:
    • ATCS assessment 
    • NSW provisional trades person certificate* 
    • Certificate of Proficiency*
    • 10809NAT Training
    • Workplace evidence fee
    *ETAUP will reimburse cost.
  • Issuance of Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician UEE30820 (Upon successful completion of the above)
  • Eligible for a qualified supervisors certificate (unrestricted electrical licence)

Note: ETAUP will not pay for the unrestricted electrical licence upon completion. 

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for ETAUP, learners must meet the following eligibility criteria at the time of enrolment:

Live or work in New South Wales

Be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent Australian resident or a humanitarian visa holder

Be aged 15 years or over, and not enrolled at any school

Hold electrical qualifications* and/or experience gained overseas

* Highly desirable but not essential.

Note: Learners must hold a CPR certificate of currency while undertaking the gap training process. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Learners participating in ETAUP must meet the Smart and Skilled eligibility criteria:

  • 15 years and older at the time of enrolment
  • No longer enrolled at school
  • Living or working in New South Wales (NSW)
  • Australian Citizens, permanent residents, humanitarian visa holders or New Zealand citizens

In addition, an overseas electrical qualification is highly desirable but not essential. Participants must have sufficient experience and meet the documentary and practical requirements.

All assessment and training costs are covered by the project funding.

Candidates will be reimbursed for the costs of the provisional license and Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) application.

The participants will be required to hold a current CPR certificate whilst undertaking the Course in Electrician – Australian Minimum Context Gap (10809NAT) training, costs to gain this certification to be met by the participant.

Upon completion of ETAUP, participants are also required to cover the costs to gain their Qualified Trades Person Certificate.

The Trade Pathways Innovation Fund commenced in June 2023 and runs for 18months.

All participants must have commenced 10809NAT by 14 November 2024.

Step 1: Complete EOI for ETAUP

Step 2: Undertake ATCS

Step 3: Provisional licence

Step 4: Gap training

Step 5: Issued full qualification

Step 6: Certificate of Proficiency (CoP)

Step 7: Electrical Licence

This will depend on how quickly each component can be achieved. Some candidates may complete the Australian Technical Competencies Statement (ATCS) component in around 3-months and some may take longer. The 10809NAT component of the program takes a nominal 12-months to complete.

Therefore, it is anticipated that ETAUP will take participants approximately 18-months to complete.

The project is being funded by the NSW Department of Education through the Trade Pathways Innovation Fund and administered by the following project partners:

  • Electrical Trades Union NSW – Project recipient and contract holder with the NSW Department of Education
  • Energy Skills Australia – Project Administrator
  • Future Skills International –Australian Technical Competencies Statement (ATCS) assessing Organisation
  • Electrical Trades College – 10809NAT – Course in Electrician Minimum Australian Context Gap delivering Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

Yes, the NSW Office of Fair Trading, have agreed to issue a Provisional Trades Person Certificate to ATCS holders for the purpose of this program. This will allow the holder to perform work in the licenced occupation under supervision while completing the gap training (10809NAT). The Provisional Trades Person Certificate is only issued for three years and cannot be renewed. 

Eligibility is gathered and verified at the beginning of the program. Only candidates who possess the requirements will progress into ETAUP.

Your responses to the online enquiry form are initially screened by Energy Skills Australia who will determine if you progress to a more intensive document collection and verification process undertaken by the ATCS organisation (Future Skills International).

Future Skills International will ultimately review and verify the evidence presented and will determine who is ‘Decision Ready’ and able to progress to the ATCS component.

You will be required to submit a variety of sufficient and relevant evidence to support the ATCS component.

Documentary Evidence:

  • Previous training and work experience
  • Currency of employment history
  • Colour copies of qualification, apprenticeship certificate, award, academic transcript etc that include start and end dates and details of program of study
  • Employer statements and pay evidence
  • Evidence of residency status
  • Evidence of living and/or working in NSW

Following successful completion of the Documentary Evidence Assessment, candidates will also have to undertake both a Technical Interview (Written Exam) and Practical Skills Assessment, involving:

  • complete a written exam, including general electrical principles, basic electrical formula and safe work practices
  • complete the wiring of a domestic low voltage circuit
  • draw a circuit diagram and complete the wiring of a Direct On-Line motor control circuit
  • undertake fault finding on an electrical installation

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. 

We will not be accepting application and enquiries after the 30 June 2024.

For those who have made it to EOI-Contact form stage, you must have all ATCS documentary evidence submitted to the ATCS assessing RTO by 14 July 2024. 

Exemplar Profiling records your on-the-job work experience. This system has been developed by industry and is an important component of the gap training course (10809NAT). 

Exemplar Profiling gathers, on a weekly basis, the different tasks undertaken and tracks over time exposure to the various elements of the gap training course. This information is verified by your supervisor and used as work performance evidence by the gap training RTO. 

No, ETAUP will not result in any migration outcome.

Candidates are required to apply for and pay for their Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) application and Provisional Trades Persons Certificate.

Candidate in this program can seek reimbursement for these expenses, by completing and submitting (with the required evidence) a ETAUP Reimbursement Form to Energy Skills Australia via office@energyskillsaustralia.com.au

A copy of the ETAUP Reimbursement Form is contained in the Participant Information Pack.

No, entry will be based on your ability to meet the eligibility criteria and produce the required verifiable evidence required for the ATCS assessment.

No, not necessarily. Entry into the program, will be based on the quality of the evidence provided to Future Skills International against the requirements of the ATCS.

ETAUP has funding available for 34 participants.

Although we anticipate all participants who commence will complete, if for any reason, participants do not complete all the components of ETAUP they won’t be impacted in any way, other than not being able to receive an ATCS outcome letter, UEE30820 qualification and Qualified Trades Person Certificate.

You will be issued any accredited units of competency you have achieved for future recognition. However, any training costs at a later date, after the Trade Innovation Fund is completed would be met by the individual.

ETAUP is a program which is part of the NSW Government Trade Pathways Innovation Fund. As per the Program Guidelines it is only open to people who live and/or work in NSW.

As long as your new employer can provide you with the work experience required for 10809NAT and you are able to be supervised by a licensed electrician, this is no issue. Just make sure you update your employer and supervisor details on your Exemplar Profiling account.   

Although participants will be supported along the way by the Project Partners, simply commencing or enrolling won’t guarantee you will complete. Participants will be required to successfully achieve the delivery and assessment requirements of each component to be issued an ATCS and/or 10809NAT.

The gap training component involves undertaking 10809NAT Course in Electrician – Minimum Australian Context Gap.

To enrol in 10809NAT you must meet the below entry requirements:

● hold an Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR) or Australian Technical Competencies Statement (ATCS) 
● hold a provisional/restricted licence
● be engaged (employed) as an electrical worker or have access to a workplace environment that replicates workplace conditions
● hold a certificate of currency for resuscitation (CPR) 

All participants must be enrolled in 10809NAT by 14 November 2024. 

 

For Any Enquiries Please contact

Office@energyskillsaustralia.com.au