To become a licenced Electrician in Australia, you must undergo a series of training and acquire all the necessary licences. The training is gained by finishing Year 11, Year 12 or Vocational education and training (VET). While for the licences, it can be acquired by passing all the training and Licensed Electrical Assessment (LEA).
How to Become an Electrician
1. The first stage is education. To become an electrician, you need to finish any of the following education levels: Year 11, Year 12 or VET. If you chose not to pursue VET, it’s recommended to complete a pre-vocational course in electrotechnology studies. This course will give you the important skills and knowledge to become an electricians.
Other than the field of electrical, this course also serves to hone your skills and knowledge in the fields of air-conditioning, refrigeration, and instrumentation. Successfully completing this will give you an edge when applying for an apprenticeship program.
2. The second stage is completing Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship. For you to complete this step, you must pass the 12-week Certificate II in Electrotechnology. The main purpose of this stage is to hone your practical skills by applying all the skills and knowledge you have learned from the VET (or other training). Other information that you will learn are stated as follows:
- Complete quality tests on installations/repairs
- Identifying materials/equipment needed and order it
- New installation of cable tray and other electrical equipment
- Reading electrical drawings/plans
Though completing Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship is mostly recommended, you can skip this and proceed to the next stage ONLY IF you gained relevant years of electrical work experience.
3. The third stage is to apply for an Electrical Apprenticeship program and complete Certificate III in Electrotechnology. This stage is purely a hands-on application of everything you have learned from your training. This includes, but not limited to: installation, repair, testing, and maintenance of electrical circuits and wiring.
The good part of this apprenticeship program is you are getting paid for the entire duration. The electrical apprenticeship program commonly takes 3 to 4 years.
4. The last stage is to apply for the Electrician’s licence. You can acquire your Electrician’s licence by passing the Licensed Electrical Assessment (LEA). This exam consists of 3 assessments:
- The Licensed Electricians Theory (LET) is a written exam that takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete.
- The Licensed Electricians Practice (LEP) is a practical exam that takes 4 hours to complete. This exam includes your knowledge in wiring a meter box and switchboard, identifying visual defects, MEN system testing, and testing an installation.
- The last part of the exam is the Safe Working Practice (SWP) which test your capability to disconnect then reconnect a piece of electrical equipment properly and safely. It takes 40 minutes for you to complete this part.
The passing grade is 75% and above, for each assessment section.
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