Licensed trades

​​​​​​To work in Australia in a licensed trade you must meet strict safety standards and hold an occupational licence. If you have successfully completed a skills assessment for a licensed trade (either as part of an Australian visa application or after you arrived in Australia) you should have received an Offshore Technical Skills Record (OTSR).

If you do not have an OTSR, visit our trades page for more information. The OTSR lists all the technical units of competency you successfully demonstrated through your skills assessment for the relevant Australian qualification.

You can now:

• use your OTSR to apply for a provisional or trainee licence, which allows you to start working under supervision; and

• start the Australian context training which gives you the Australian specific knowledge and experience needed to apply for a full licence and complete the remaining units of the Australian qualification (normally a certificate III).

We have gathered some information on how to get your licence in Western Australia for the following trades:

• airconditioning and refrigeration mechanic;

• electrician (general);

• electrician (special class); and

• plumber (general).

Each Australian state and territory has different Australian context training and licensing requirements. Information for other states and territories can be found on the Licence recognition website.