Plenty of tradies don't stay put in one spot. Maybe you live near the border and take jobs on both sides, or you follow the work between big projects in different states. If that's you, there's a fair question worth asking: does moving between states make it harder to turn your years on the tools into a nationally recognised qualification? The short answer is no — and here's why.
The qualifications All Pathways helps you work towards — like the Certificate III in Carpentry and the Certificate III in Painting & Decorating — are nationally recognised. That means they hold the same weight whether you're in Queensland, Victoria, WA or anywhere else in the country. The training package a qualification sits under is set at a national level, so the units of competency don't change from state to state.
So the work you've done in two (or three) different states doesn't split your experience into separate piles. It all counts as your experience. A wall you framed in one state and a deck you built in another are both evidence of the same skills.
When you set out to get qualified for the skills you already have, the goal is to show that you can do the work described in each unit. Where you did that work isn't the point — the point is that you did it, and that you can prove it.
If anything, working across two states can mean you've got a broader range of jobs to draw on. Different clients, different conditions, different builds. That variety can actually help paint a fuller picture of what you can do.
The handy part is that the whole process is online and done at your own pace. You're not tied to a classroom in one town, which suits blokes and women who are constantly on the road. You can add evidence whenever it works for you — from a job site, a caravan, or the kitchen table on a quiet Sunday.
Evidence usually looks like:
If your work history is spread across a couple of states, it's worth pulling together contacts and records from both while you're at it. The more complete the picture, the better.
Here's something worth being clear about. A nationally recognised qualification and a state-based trade licence aren't the same thing. Licensing is handled state by state, and each state has its own rules about what you need to hold a licence and work under it.
A qualification can be an important step towards a licence, but getting qualified doesn't automatically hand you a licence in every state. If licensing is your end goal, it's smart to check the requirements with the licensing authority in the state where you plan to work. We can help you get the qualification sorted — the licence side sits with the state regulators.
We help you gather and complete the evidence, then it goes to a partner Registered Training Organisation (RTO). The RTO makes the assessment call — the qualification is only issued if your evidence meets the requirements of each unit. We can't promise an outcome, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we can do is help you put your best case together.
The cost is straightforward too:
No surprise fees, no fine print.
Splitting your time between two states doesn't hold you back one bit when it comes to getting your experience recognised. Your skills are your skills, no matter which side of the border you earned them on.
If you're ready to see what your years on the tools could add up to, take the free first week for a spin — no cost, no commitment.
Answer a few quick questions and set up your pathway — first week free, then $20/week, cancel anytime.
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