The TRA-Guidelines and Sample References

Transcription

1 The TRA-Guidelines and Sample References Unless otherwise stated all documents for the Skills Assessing body must be in the form of a certified copy and translated into English by a professional translator Please refer to the attached Document Certification document for details As you will need the same documents for the 2 nd (DIMIA) stage of the process it makes sense to make 2 certified copies of these documents at this stage Time Frames and Costs Standard processing $300 (Up to 2 months) We recommend raising a banker s draft in AUD$300 made payable to the Trades Recognition Australia for the safest and quickest way to pay the TRA fee Contacting HIFX is the easiest way to organise this Your case worker can ask HIFX to contact you at a suitable time if requested Banker s drafts may take up to 3 days to receive so it is recommended that you organise the draft 5-7 days prior to completing your final TRA application Work experience requirements The key to receiving a positive skills assessment is to reference all relevant work experience However an absolute minimum of 6 years is required If you are being assessed in an electrical trade, as a chef or as a supervisor please contact your case worker for further details The period of training and the first few years of your career are particularly important and as such references need to be very detailed for these periods (see pages 3 and 4) Qualifications If you have relevant trade related qualifications such as Apprenticeship Papers or Trade Certificates, you will be required to provide certified copies of these documents (refer to attached Document Certification) Guidelines for Work Experience References are the most important aspect of your TRA application as they help determine whether your skills are comparable to the Australian standard You will find an outline reference to follow, however as a guide they must include the following: 1

2 Specific period of employment (eg 17/03/95-14/05/03) Job title Technical detail as in the attached ASCO Code This should be used as a guide and not simply copied Points must be expanded on and a list of tools and equipment used also included Your annual salary at that time Must be on company letter head Must be signed and dated The name, job title and contact details of the person writing the reference must also be included All references must be in the form of certified copies Please note: The reference(s) from the company(s) where you did your training must be very detailed as to the type and method of training and follow as closely as possible the points on the attached ASCO Code description Please find details and an example later in this attachment under the heading Training Reference This is the case for ALL applicants even if you have trade qualifications, trade papers or deeds of apprenticeship If your first company is no longer trading please contact your caseworker immediately Training Reference (Apprenticeship/Traineeship) This reference is the most crucial in proving to the TRA that you went from untrained as a beginner to becoming fully qualified and confident in carrying out the daily expectations of your trade You will find an outline reference to follow, however as a guide the training reference must include the following: Dates that you worked for this company and company details Position held with this company and for how long eg 1981 Bricklayers Laborer, Bricklayer Apprentice, Fully Qualified Bricklayer Break training up into sections eg in the first year of xxxx employment with the company he/she was taught xyz Detail tasks and how you were taught these by a fully qualified xxx (you need to continually refer to been taught by a qualified tradesperson You will need to include details of salary eg xxx started on a weekly wage of As xxx skills were recognized his/her pay was increased to Continue to do this as you show the progression of wages from beginner to fully qualified This shows the TRA that you were paid according as your skills developed List tools which you were taught to use and master Give a conclusion of the job you finished on, what you did for the time after your training and what pay you were on 2

3 Example of a training reference (should be minimum 2-3 pages long and cover every year of your training) 20 th September 2004 To whom it may concern I confirm that Mr XXX was employed by this company from 8 th September 1994 to April 6th 1999 Mr XXX was initially employed as a trainee/apprentice (insert trade) on a weekly/annual wage of XXX Over the years XXX was employed, he gained a vast amount of experience in all aspects of (XYZ) and is now an extremely experienced (XYZ) Mr XXXX undertook extensive on site training with several members of our fully skilled and experienced staff The training regime begins with the basics of (XYZ), For example: (refer to ASCO code) Each bullet point should be a paragraph explaining how each aspect of your trade was taught SKILL & EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH Once these principles had been taught and fully grasped in the first year of training, Mr XXXX then progressed to the more and more complicated tasks (again describe in detail how these things were taught) As a result of these increased responsibilities, his wage was increased to XXX per week/year (PLEASE COVER EVERY YEAR OF YOUR TRAINING WITH THIS AMOUNT OF DETAIL) SKILL & EXPLANATORY PARAGRAPH 3

4 He undertook training in all areas detailed above and carried out the above on a daily basis once his training period of 3/4/5/ years had come to an end As an apprentice he earned ( XXXX) per annum and as a fully qualified (XYZ) he earned ( ZZZZ) per annum Mr XXXX was taught how to use the following tools in able to work effectively: (List tools here) We trust that these details meet with your requirements but should you require any further assistance with Mr XXX application please do not hesitate to contact me on the attached numbers Yours sincerely Name, Title, Contact Numbers 4

5 Outline Reference (non training) Please find below an outline of a sample reference which you can give to an employer for them to use as a guide Generally the longer you were with a company, the longer the reference would be, but as a guide they should be at least 1 page of A4 paper long In addition we have produced a guide as to how a reference should look and how a reference should NOT look We have used Carpenter as an example and given you that ASCO Code description to cross check with the references; please use this as a guide to the style and layout of your references only The content must reflect your own individual ASCO Code and profession 5

6 Date To Whom It May Concern: I confirm that Mr X has been employed in this company from (date) to (Date) as a (Job title) Key tasks and responsibilities: This is the main part of a technical reference and should be as thorough as possible It should cover the duties you would carry out in your trade on a daily basis If you undertook any large projects or jobs they can be described here If you had any further on the job training this should be described here IN DETAIL Other details such as less frequently performed tasks or any supervisory experience can come here as can your competency in the role Finally finish off with a comprehensive list of the tools used to do your job Salary details can also come here Yours truly, Name job title, signature and contact details of the writer here 6

7 Please use the below ASCO code description below to see how the bullet points can be effectively used in a reference (below) without simply being copied directly Carpenter Constructs, erects, installs, renovates and repairs structures and fixtures of wood, plywood, wallboard and other materials Tasks Include: studies drawings and specifications to determine materials required, dimensions and installation procedures orders and selects timbers and materials, and prepares layouts cuts materials with hand and power tools, and assembles or nails cut and shaped parts erects framework, lays sub-flooring and verifies trueness of structures assembles ceiling joists and rafters to construct roof framing, or nails prefabricated roof trusses into place nails fascia panels, sheathes roofs and fits exterior wall cladding to enclose structures cuts and nails frames around windows and doors, hangs doors, installs prefabricated units and other structures, and nails floor-boards over sub-floor may install door handles, locks, hardware, flooring underlay, suspended ceilings, insulating materials and other fixtures may examine and remove parts of existing structures, do minor preparatory work and install building supports may erect scaffolding and steel studding 7

8 An EXAMPLE of a suitable reference for migration purposes 25/05/04 To Whom it may concern John Smith s Carpentry Ltd I confirm that Eddy Jones has been employed with this company from 01/03/1999 to present date as a Carpenter Key Tasks and responsibilities To read drawings as issued by his foreman and work out what materials he needs for that job as well as what methods he is going to use to carry it out To gather those materials and timber and prepares the layouts, then cuts the materials using a selection of hand or power tools and shapes the parts He is required to verify structures as well as build frameworks and lay sub-flooring He carries out work using a variety of materials including wood, plywood, wallboard, fascia board and wall cladding He often has to install pre-fab units such as kitchens and also hang doors and frame windows As for flooring he is required to nail floor boards over sub floors He is also sometimes required to install suspended ceilings and door handles We have always found Eddy to be trust worthy and very skilled in his job He recently was team leader for a 6 month re-fit of an entire office complex which he carried out with great dedication His yearly salary is 20,000 He uses all the usual carpentry tools with ease, including; Hand Saws, electric saws, screwdrivers, hammers, pattern makers and setters out (Adapt to you profession making as long a list as possible) If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me Yours truly, <<signature>> John Smith Director E:Mail JohnSmith@carpenterscom Phone

9 An EXAMPLE of a reference that would lead to rejection for migration purposes <<no date>> To whom it may concern, John Smith s Carpentry Ltd I can confirm that Eddy Jones has been employed with this company for about 10 years <<no specific dates>> as a foreman <<too vague, needs to state carpenter>> He is never late and is a really good worker I would not hesitate to recommend him to any employer << No details of day to day tasks or tools>> Yours truly, << no signature>> John Smith Director <<no contact details>> 9

10 Frequently Asked Questions (TRA) What if I can t contact an old company as it has closed down or it is still in existence but my old manager has left? This is a common problem If the company has closed down and you cannot find your old manager then a worst case scenario would be to write a statutory declaration This is a statement written by you which is then witnessed as a true statement by a solicitor Please find an outlined statutory declaration below The content should include details of why you can t get a reference and then should follow the format of a normal technical reference as per the provided example To support this claim you should provide as much additional evidence from that period of employment as possible, such as Pay Slips, contracts, letters from the company letterhead, old business cards etc If you can find your old manager however this would be a better solution He/she should write a reference of his/her current company s headed paper as per the example provided but include details of his/her employment at the old company as well as the length of time as job title at the present one If possible he/she should include proof of the previous employment (pay slips/contract/business cards etc) as indeed should you as the applicant How can I make this easier? I hate contacting all these old employers for references! Unfortunately, there is no way around this but you can make it easier by giving them an example of the kind of reference you need; either one you have made up as an example yourself or one you are happy with from another employer What will happen if a period of my employment is covered by a sub standard or non technical character reference? If your reference is not up to standard or is non technical in nature then the TRA will discard it and you will lose that period of employment Obviously if this happens you will possibly fail The company I previously worked for has a policy not to supply detailed references, how can I ensure that the evidence for this period of employment is up to the TRA standards? If one of your previous employers is adamant on not supplying a detailed reference, the company should still be willing to provide a basic employment reference along with a letter explaining the company policy In addition, you can write a Statutory Declaration to further confirm your position within the particular company What if I have thrown away or lost my qualification papers? You will need to contact the College / Company where you completed these qualifications and request replacements Please note that you may be charged for replacements and some establishments may take up to 5-6 weeks to issue new certificates I m/was self employed, how do I prove this? This is also a common issue In this case you should provide a Statutory Declaration detailing the nature of your self employment; you should provide the following details: Company name / registered name (Companies House) Date the company officially started trading 10

11 Why you decided to go into business for yourself What was involved in setting up your own company eg organising office premises, appointing an accountant and creating a financial plan for the company, advertising eg advert in a newspaper/magazine, employees hired, purchase of equipment and materials What your company does? (eg things that you would cover in a reference, this will be the bulk of your Statutory Declaration Refer to ASCO code) Refer to any specific jobs carried out eg large contracting jobs Try to include two or three references from customers stating who they are, what jobs you carried out for them and what they thought of your services etc How much you earned form such jobs Tools used on a daily basis along with where/who you buy these tools from eg suppliers You will need to organise references from suppliers to verify this Any additional information which shows the growth and success of your business eg started with one client and you now have 50 If you moved to bigger premises eg started in home office and now rent an office or garage? If your income went from XXX to XXXX per annum and if you have hired more and more employees over time etc You will also need to supply accountant details such as name, company, dates they have been your accountant, what they are providing (account records for years of self employment) A letter from your accountant outlining your business and how long it has been trading should also be included Include anything else which verifies your business inc two or three customer references, customer contracts, letter headed paper for your business (If applicable, print this Statutory Declaration on letter headed paper), business cards, photo s of works carried out, pay slips given to employees, one or two references from suppliers, advertisements of your company etc (absolutely anything you can think of) Sign and date the final page of your Statutory Declaration and have it witnessed and dated by a Solicitor 11

12 Outline Statutory Declaration I (full name) of (address and post code and country and Job Title) do solemnly declare as follows Here comes your statement Give all relevant details as to why you are writing the statutory declaration and all relevant information to your specific circumstances As a general rule, the more detailed provided the better Do not be afraid to run to several pages I do solemly declare that all the information provided is complete and correct in every detail I make this solemn declaration by virtue of the Statutory Declaration Act 1835 and subject to penalties provided by that Act for the making of false statements in statutory declarations, conscientiously believing the statements contained in this declaration to be true on every particular Your signature and contact details Declared at Date Details of person before whom the declaration is made and his/her signature(judge, solicitor, JP, Commissioner of Oaths, Notary Public) Stamp of Witness If you have any queries regarding the above, please contact your case worker directly Your original consultant will not be able to assist you with case work enquiries 12