# TRA Assessment with no diploma or apprenticeship



## dlarge (May 25, 2012)

Hi,

I have posted this on another site but not had any luck so im hoping someone here might be able to help or advise or been in a similar position.

I will be applying to get my skills assessed by the TRA under ICT Customer Support Officer 313112. I have numerous vendor certificates (Microsoft) which if I was being assessed by the Australian Computer Society (which every other ICT Skill is) I wouldnt have any problem because work experience and vendor certificates are taken into consideration. Now according to the TRA Form I would need to have had vocational training and or an apprenticeship. I am unsure what to fill in on the form because I never had a formal apprenticeship although my first job was as a trainee for 1 year but didnt receive a certificate/qualification. I have been on a number of training courses and I now have an MCITP (MCSE) qualification so not sure if i can put this down as vocational training? 

I have seen somewhere that possibly applying under pathway B may be an option but i cannot find any information on the TRA website regarding the pathways and how I would be applying under a particular pathway or do they assign a pathway automatically? I wondered if my 1 year as a trainee would be classed as an informal apprenticeship although I cannot confirm this with official documentation as it was nearly 20 years ago and the company I worked for cannot confirm job titles only dates I worked there. Im not sure how I would prove 900hrs of formal training - does this have to be college training? I have been on a number of courses but I dont think for 1 minute they would add up to 900hrs. 

I notice they have an advice line - as anyone had any experience of phoning them and would they answer this sort of query?

My other alternative is to apply for Systems Administrator in New South Wales as I know I wouldnt have a problem with the assessment through the ACS though Ideally I want to move to Perth as we have friends there.

Thanks

Dave


----------



## Riza2012 (Mar 2, 2012)

dlarge said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have posted this on another site but not had any luck so im hoping someone here might be able to help or advise or been in a similar position.
> 
> ...


/./


----------



## dlarge (May 25, 2012)

Thank you for your reply, though I'm not sure what l.l means. I have done a forum search but I get no search results so I'm a bit confused. Sorry to bother you but could you explain your reply if possible. 

Many Thanks

Dave


----------



## SA_expat (Aug 31, 2012)

*Tra 313112 - mcse*



dlarge said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have posted this on another site but not had any luck so im hoping someone here might be able to help or advise or been in a similar position.
> 
> ...


Hi Dave,

I have MCSE and other qualifications, and was also trying to find out if MCSE is sufficient for TRA, as ACS seem to recognise it as equivalent to an Australian qualification. Did you apply to TRA? and if so what was the result?


----------



## dlarge (May 25, 2012)

Hi,

Having spoken to a number of migration agents and apparently ones that specialise in IT none of them recommended that I went down the TRA route as they couldnt be certain that my MCTIP's would be taken into consideration. 

Seems bizzare to me that the TRA actually assess this ICT skill as the ACS assess every single other ICT code and take vendor qualifications and experience into consideration.

Sorry I cant be of much help - i posted on numerous boards and contacted a number of agents and the ones that said "yeah no problem" i took with a pinch of salt....

Dave




SA_expat said:


> Hi Dave,
> 
> I have MCSE and other qualifications, and was also trying to find out if MCSE is sufficient for TRA, as ACS seem to recognise it as equivalent to an Australian qualification. Did you apply to TRA? and if so what was the result?


----------



## SA_expat (Aug 31, 2012)

Hi Dave,

I have also scoured every forum I could find for more information, most people don't have any idea what to suggest and simply say that one should contact an agent, however I think that when it comes to TRA the agents are as clueless as the rest of us.

According to ANZSCO, which provides a definition for Australian & New Zealand occupations,
the "Indicative Skill Level" for 3131 - ICT SUPPORT TECHNICIANS (of which 313112 forms part of) is as follows:
=============
"Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with the qualifications and experience outlined below. 

In Australia: 

AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)

In New Zealand: 
NZ Register Diploma (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)

At least three years of relevant experience and/or relevant vendor certification may substitute for the formal qualifications listed above. In some instances relevant experience may be required in addition to the formal qualification."
=============
So they mention vendor certifications, but TRA don't list which certs they accept, unlike ACS who list them quite clearly in their guidelines. This said though, one cannot be certain that TRA will base their decision on ANZSCO standards or not. I reckon the only way to know definitively is to mail them and ask the question, after which I will post what I find out online, as we are not alone in asking this question.


----------



## dlarge (May 25, 2012)

I myself emailed them a few times and never received a response so I wouldnt hold your breath. I think the best bet is to give them a ring but im not sure if you will get a proper answer. 

As far as the ICT Support Officer route I've given up on that route and Perth as it seems impossible for me so trying another State and Occupation. 

My next issue is going to be scoring an 8 in the IELTS test as I hit 40 come November and lose another 15 points. My English aint that good - even though im English! I've tried some of the example tests and always seem to get a couple of the listening ones wrong, my brain cant keep up......

Good Luck, and if you get anything concrete out of them, let us know.

Cheers

Dave


----------



## SA_expat (Aug 31, 2012)

Hi Dave,

TRA have answered my e-mails, check out the answers below:

Question 1:

I'm in the process of compiling my application for Migration Skills Assessment to be assessed as a ICT Customer Support Officer - ANZSCO 313112.

I'd like to confirm whether TRA considers the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification (or any other certification by Microsoft) 
as a formal qualification or the equivalent to a formal qualification (as the Australian Computer Society do for other ICT skills)?

Answer:

With regard to your Microsoft vendor certificates, TRA is unable to verify that these certifications meet the requirements for qualifications as specified in Section 2.6 of the TRA Migration Skills Assessment Applicant Guidelines. 

The relevant Australian qualification for ICT Customer Support Officer is ICA40111 - Certificate IV in Information Technology.

========

Question 2:

As TRA is unable to verify that vendor certifications (such as MCSE) meet the requirements for qualifications as specified in Section 2.6, 
does that then by extension mean that TRA would not accept a relevant vendor certification and/or relevant experience as a substitute for the 
formal qualification as described by ANZSCO for occupation group 3131, of which "313112 ICT CUSTOMER SUPPORT OFFICER" is a subset?

"At least three years of relevant experience and/or relevant vendor certification may substitute for the formal qualifications listed above." 

Answer:

A TRA Migration Skills Assessment is an assessment of the qualifications and employment of an applicant against Australian standards. 

TRA assesses qualifications against Australian Training Package qualifications, which is the Australian industry standard for qualifications.

Please note TRA makes reference to ANZSCO in the TRA MSA Applicant Guidelines when referring to employment, and more specifically the tasks specified in ANZSCO as a guide for a list of some of the activities that are relevant for the occupation. TRA does not refer to ANZSCO for qualification comparability.


----------



## guide.me (Jun 9, 2013)

Hi Dave,

I am myself considering the ICT CUSTOMER SUPPORT ROLE...can you please update on whatever happened to your case....where you able to get hold of TRA on phone?....are there any alternative options?.....eagerly awaiting a reply...thanks.


----------



## sgn1982 (Jun 2, 2013)

hi all,,

may i know the address to send tra skills assessment application,

thanks


----------



## lisa.abraham07 (Sep 29, 2015)

Any one in this forum still active?


----------

