Holder of a New Zealand Building Licence
Holders of a New Zealand building licence should refer to Mutual Recognition

If you do not qualify under Mutual Recognition but have a relevant technical qualification see Applying for a Licence

Overseas Qualifications
The technical qualifications for BSA licence classes are Australian nationally-recognised qualifications or accredited courses issued by Vocational Education organisations, or qualifications issued by Australian Tertiary institutions (universities etc).

This system is referred to as the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and ranges from Level 1 through to Level 11 as illustrated below.

Vocational Education Training (VET) sector organisations are typically Registered Training Organisations which are technical colleges, for example, Institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFE), SkillsTech, or are privately-run registered training organisations. See - Registered Training and Technical Assessment Organisations.

Tertiary sector institutions are typically universities and other educational institutions which award qualifications in under-graduate (eg. Bachelor Degree or below) or post-graduate (eg. Graduate Certificate or above) programs.

Typically someone who has completed an apprenticeship in a trade in Australia would have achieved somewhere in the range of an AQF Certificate III outcome.  While the qualifications framework in each overseas country differs and each person’s case is different, understanding the AQF should give an overseas-qualified person some idea at what level their qualification might align with.  To apply for a licence however, formal evidence of an AQF qualification is required by the BSA.

If you are already resident in Queensland and have overseas qualifications which you believe may align with an Australian qualification you could contact the Skills Recognition branch of the Department of Education and Training (DET) to see if you are eligible for this service - Phone: 1300 369 935 –they may be able to assist you with an assessment of comparability of the AQF level of your overseas qualification (this is a free service and only available to eligible Queensland residents). Note this is not a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment – it is a comparability assessment to assess what AQF level your overseas qualification aligns with.  This service is optional and is not required for a BSA licence.

If you utilised the Skills Recognition Branch process, it will then be necessary to demonstrate the technical content of your overseas qualification is sufficient to meet the technical qualification or requirements for the BSA licence class that you intend to apply for. To do this you will need to undergo a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment conducted by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).  To understand more about the RPL process, refer to previous section of this booklet.

Persons who hold overseas qualifications above AQF level III may be eligible to apply to BSA directly if you are a member of a professional organisation.  In this case, it is essential you can demonstrate the study undertaken to gain your qualification is relevant to the scope of work for the licence.  If you are already residing in Australia and have obtained membership from an Australian professional institute or body, in certain circumstances evidence of your membership level with that institute or body may help support your application. Please check with BSA if you are eligible to apply.

For trade-qualified people who obtained their qualifications outside of Australia and who are still residing overseas, who believe that qualification may be comparable to the ranges of AQF levels 1 to 3, some options currently exist to have your qualifications assessed and recognised in your home country (if it appears on the list below).  Note that this option only relates to those Australian trade occupations indicated below. 

These assessment services are currently offered in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Philippines only.

The contact details for each Assessment Body indicated below is provided at the end of this section.  These Assessment Bodies will be able to provide you with information about your eligibility and the assessment process.

United Kingdom

Ireland

Other Countries - India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the Phillippines only serviced by the assessment Body VETASSESS

The Assessment Bodies listed in this section are currently the only Assessment Bodies established in those countries mentioned, who offer assessment services at this point in time.  Further information on immigration requirements and requirements for working in Australia should be obtained from the Australian Government – Department of Immigration and Citizenship- www.immi.gov.au.

Contact Details for Assessment Bodies