Licensing & Regulation
Electrician's - Electrical Licensing
Electrical Licensing Requirements for Electricians
Australia now has a uniform set of requirements for licensed electricians that will be applied across the country. The National Uniform Electrical Licensing Advisory Council (NUELAC) finalised and agreed on a uniform set of requirements for licensed electricians on 13th February 2001. The determination also covers the adoption of a single title of ‘Electrician’ to replace the previous electrical mechanic and electrical fitter titles. This agreement is the culmination of efforts by industry and electrical regulators to reach a common requirement for electrical licensing that is integrated into nationally recognised and portable vocational education and training.
The new arrangements were adopted by ERAC members to take effect on 1 July 2001 and were brought about by:
NUELAC membership covers various government and industry interests relevant to the safe and competent performance of electrical work. This includes NECA, AiGroup, CEPU, and technical/safety regulators (licensing authorities) of all Australian States and Territories. The New Zealand regulator and the two key industry training advisory bodies EE-Oz Training Standards (formerly NUEITAB) and MERS ITAB are observer members of the Council.
NUELAC members have worked cooperatively to reach this major achievement that integrates regulators’ requirements with mainstream vocational education and training and extends across State/Territory borders. A set of 66 “essential performance capabilities” that cover the scope of electrical work have been agreed, and these must be covered during training and assessment for an appropriate national training package qualification. These specifications can be achieved through various national industry Training Package Certificate III or higher qualifications, including the Metal and Engineering Training Package from MERS ITAB as well as the National Electrotechnology Training Package, and Generation National Training Package EE-Oz Training Standards.
The Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council (ERAC) expressed the need for assurance that people applying for electrician licences satisfy requirements for licensing. The training for a prospective electrician is to include the 66 essential performance capabilities. In addition, an industry approved final ‘capstone’ assessment covering 31 critical items of the 66 essential performance capabilities must be conducted by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) as part of the quality assurance process.
The NUELAC determination requires RTOs to conduct the approved capstone assessment after the completion of all other assessment requirements of the National Electrotechnology Training Package Certificate III in Electrotechnology Systems Electrician qualification. The purpose of this is to provide assurance to electrical regulatory authorities of the quality of the candidate presenting for an electrician’s licence. In the case of non-apprentices, other assessment processes apply. The industry approved final capstone assessment for the CIII in Electrotechnology Systems Electrician will be conducted using EE-Oz Training Standards’s module NUE505A. The capstone test requires that a learner undertake a 6-8 hour test comprised of 70% practical and 30% written.
Benefits of new requirements
The benefits of the new requirements are:
1. Better qualified and responsive electricians
2. Competent electricians who can:
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carry out electrical work safely
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ensure electrical systems worked-on are safe to use
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ensure measures for protection against faults are in place and operate as intended, and
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select appropriately rated equipment & cables
3. Increased recognition of the CIII qualification and related licence
4. Increased portability
5. Increased acceptability by employers and employees.
For further information on training and assessment contact EE-Oz Training Standards on 1800 069 174.
For detailed information on CIII Systems Electrician competency development schedule click on the link below.
The Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council website may be found at this link:
http://www.erac.gov.au/
See also EE-Oz's Policies and Guidelines which may be found at this link here .
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Licensing & Regulation 
