You've spent weeks pulling together your evidence — photos of your work, videos, references from your boss or clients, maybe a few job records and a chat about how you do things. Then comes the moment you hit submit and send it all off for assessment. So what actually happens next? Here's a plain-English walk-through of how the assessment side works once your evidence leaves your hands.
Once your evidence is complete and submitted, it lands with a qualified assessor. This is someone qualified to make the call on whether what you've shown matches the requirements of the qualification — either the Certificate III in Carpentry or the Certificate III in Painting & Decorating.
The assessor isn't there to trip you up. Their job is to look at the skills and experience you've documented and check it against each unit in the qualification. Think of it as someone experienced in your trade reviewing your work and going, "Yep, that shows me you can do this properly."
Every nationally recognised qualification is built from units of competency. Each unit has a set of things you need to demonstrate — specific tasks, knowledge and standards. The assessor works through your evidence unit by unit to confirm you've covered what's needed.
This is the honest part we never gloss over: the outcome depends on your evidence meeting those unit requirements, and the competency decision is made by the assessor — not by All Pathways. We help you gather and present strong evidence, but the final call sits with them.
It's completely normal to be asked for extra evidence or a quick clarification. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong — it usually just means the assessor wants one more example, a clearer photo, or to confirm a particular skill they couldn't quite see in what you sent.
Common reasons for a follow-up include:
If this happens, we'll help you put together what's needed so it's not a headache. The aim is always to give the assessor enough to make a confident decision.
Once the assessor is satisfied your evidence covers everything, they make a competency decision. If your evidence meets the requirements across all the units, you're deemed competent in the qualification.
There's no exam to cram for and no marks out of a hundred — it's about whether your real-world skills match the standard. That's the whole point of getting qualified for the skills you already have, instead of going back to TAFE to learn things you've been doing for years.
When the assessor is satisfied you've met the requirements, your nationally recognised qualification is issued. The certificate is awarded by the body authorised to issue it. All Pathways helps you get the evidence ready; the formal assessment and the paperwork are handled on that side.
From there, it's yours to use — to back yourself when quoting jobs, to meet the requirements for licensing in your state, or simply to have the formal recognition you've earned through years on the tools.
There's no surprise bill at the end. Here's how it works the whole way through:
How long the assessment itself takes can vary depending on the qualification and how complete your evidence is. The more thorough you are up front, the smoother it tends to run.
If you've got the experience and you're ready to see it turned into something official, take the free first week for a spin with All Pathways — no pressure, just a look at what's possible.
Answer a few quick questions and set up your pathway — first week free, then $20/week, cancel anytime.
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