If you have studied in Australia as an International Student and gained Australian qualifications you may be eligible to undertake an employment-based skills assessment program called the Job Ready Program (JRP). This program allows you to work, usually while on a Temporary Graduate Visa, and use this period of work to gain a positive skills assessment in your occupation.
What is the JRP?
The JRP is a way of having your skills assessed while you gain Australian work experience in your occupation following gaining your Australian qualifications. We often see the JRP utilised for recent graduates of Commercial Cookery, Hospitality and Motor Mechanics, however the program can be utilised by many other trade occupations.
How does the program work?
The JRP is a four step process that takes a minimum of 12 months to complete. Applicants must have at least 12 months of full work rights available to them. Usually after graduating with qualifications at Certificate IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma level student visa holders will utilise this program while moving onto a Graduate Visa. While on the JRP applicants are required to complete 1725 hours of work along with a workplace assessment to confirm they are conducting the required tasks of someone in their occupation.
Step 1 is called the Provisional Skills Assessment and is often used to meet the requirements of a Graduate Visa (subclass 485) under the Graduate Work Stream. The requirements to pass through this step include having recognised Australian qualifications and having completed 360 hours of work experience; either as a vocational placement or paid work.
Step 2 is called Job Ready Employment and is where an initial assessment of current work (and up to 3 months of prior completed paid work) is assessed. If this work is found to be at the appropriate skill level and occupation the hours from this employer will start to be counted towards the overall hours required. To meet the overall hour requirements hours can be counted from more than one employer.
Step 3 is the Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA) and involves an assessor visiting the primary place of work to confirm that the work undertaken is at the level required of the occupation being assessed.
Step 4 is the Job Ready Final Assessment. Applicants are eligible for this step upon completion of the JRWA and 1725 hours. This Skills Assessment can be used for the purpose of applying for a Skilled Visa under the General Skilled Migration pathway.
Without the Job Ready Program it is unlikely that international student graduates across these occupations would be able to gain a positive skills assessment because of the amount of work experience required under other skills assessment options. The JRP ensures that those with Australian Qualifications in an occupational area of need are able to get positive skills assessments upon completion of their studies without the need to depart Australia and gain work experience elsewhere.
Note: it is imperative that applicants under this program have been the primary visa holder of a Student Visa and have at least 12 months of full work rights available to them to be able to complete the program. This means that if an applicant has previously held a Graduate Visa they may face difficulties gaining full work rights to be able to complete the program. At Regional Migration Australia we can determine the best long-term strategy for you to achieve your desired Australian Migration Outcome.