Indicative Skill Level:
In Australia and New Zealand:
Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification. At least five years of relevant experience and/or relevant vendor certification may substitute for the formal qualification. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).
23 Working while studying
23.1 At the skilled level
It is possible for student visa holders to meet the definition of employed. However, care should be taken in determining whether this employment was at the skilled level:
applicants must meet the entry level qualification as specified in ANZSCO (for example, a certificate III including at least two years of on-the-job training for a Carpenter, or a bachelor degree for an Accountant), before any work undertaken in that industry is considered to be skilled.
Example:
A person who worked in an architect’s firm for ten months during the course of their undergraduate architecture degree and continued in that role for two months after the degree was completed, has worked at a skilled level for only two months. The applicant’s experience as an architect employed at a skilled level is limited to the two months after obtaining the entry level qualification.
By contrast applicants pursuing advanced studies in Australia, may be able to use work undertaken using their lower level qualification gained either in Australia or overseas to obtain additional points related to employment.
Example:
A person enrols in a Masters of Accounting course in Australia. While completing their studies they work in an Accounting firm using the skills they have gained in their overseas bachelor degree. This would be considered ‘skilled’ work.
Example:
A person completes a Certificate III in Cabinet making, before going on to study a Certificate IV in that field. If the person works using the skills gained in their Certificate III while completing their Certificate IV, this would be considered ‘skilled’ work.
In all the examples above, the applicant would also need to be:
paid
working at least 20 hours a week
performing tasks that correspond with the ANZSCO descriptor for the occupation in question before they would be considered to have been ‘employed’ in a skilled occupation.