Skilled migrant plumbers seeking an occupational licence in Australia are currently required to complete the Certificate III in Plumbing to obtain a full plumbing occupational licence within their jurisdiction. Unlike other trades such as refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics, and electricians, there is no single nationally accepted Minimum Australian Context Gap course for migrant plumbers. The absence of a nationally recognised approach creates a disparity in the licensing pathway for migrant plumbers.
BuildSkills Australia proposes to commence the conversation and investigate the areas of concern to support the development of a nationally consistent approach to address these issues, and ensure there is an effective skills recognition process for migrant plumbers
A Technical Committee has been established to provide expert advice, based on evidence, across educational and/or technical knowledge to assist the design and development of training products within this project.
Technical Committee Members
| Name | Organisation | Stakeholder Type | State |
| Gary Bath | Master Plumbers Association Victoria | Employer/Peak body | Victoria |
| Adrian Clarke | Canberra Institute of Technology | RTO - TAFE | ACT |
| Andrew Evans | TAFE Queensland | RTO - TAFE | Queensland |
| Olga Iakovleva | VET Assess | RTO | National |
| Ernie Kretschmer | Master Plumbers' Association of Queensland | Employer/Peak body | Queensland |
| Shayne La Combre | Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre | RTO | National |
| Jennifer Mason | Victorian Building Authority | Licensing Regulator | Victoria |
| Glenn Menzies | Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union | Employee/Union | Victoria |
| Richard McEncroe | Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre | RTO | National |
| Michael Peterson | Department of Employment & Workplace Relations | Regulator | National |
| Wayne Price | TAFE Western Australia | RTO - TAFE | Western Australia |
| Theodoros Samartzopoulos | Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union | Employee/Union | NSW |
| Ant Taylor | Australian Trade Training College | RTO | National |
| Murray Thomas | Master Plumbers & Gasfitters Association of WA | Employer/Peak body | Western Australia |
| Steven Walding | Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety | Licensing Regulator | Western Australia |
The Terms of Reference for the Minimum Australian Context Gap Training for Migrant Plumbers Technical Committee can be found below.
Based on the scope and complexity of the training products being developed, BuildSkills has developed the following Project Timeline.
The first Technical Committee meeting will be held on September 19, 2024. In the Training Product Development phase, there could be up to 6 Technical Committee Meetings, meetings will be for a duration of 2-4 hours and a will be held through a combination of face to face and online.
In March 2025 the first draft training product will be published on our website for public consultation, and feedback. Further to this, in March & April 2025 there will be online public consultations.
From May 2025 the Technical Committee will be required to meet again, and conduct further revisions to the draft training product, based on the feedback received through the public consultation.
The final draft training product will be sent to our Commonwealth and State/Territory Senior Responsible Officers in October 2025.
The finalisation and submission of the training product will be made to the Assurance Body is proposed to be made in November 2025. With our implementation and promotion of the new training product commencing in January 2026.
Please note these dates may be subject to change throughout the project.
BuildSkills has developed a consultation strategy that identifies key stakeholders and consultation mechanisms for the drafting of the training products, the management of public consultations on the drafted products and the treatment of feedback.
BuildSkills will engage the following stakeholders throughout the training product development process:
| Organisation | Stakeholder type | Footprint |
| Master Plumbers Association | Employers and their representatives/peak bodies | National (through each State Association) |
| The Plumbing and Pipe Trades Employees Union | Employees and their representatives/unions | National (through each State Union Office) |
| Access Canberra | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Australian Capital Territory |
| New South Wales Fair Trading | State and Territory licencing Regulators | New South Wales |
| The Northern Territory Plumbers and Drainers Licensing Board | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Northern Territory |
| Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Queensland |
| The Consumer and Business Services SA | State and Territory licencing Regulators | South Australia |
| The Tasmanian Government Department of Justice | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Tasmania |
| Victorian Building Authority | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Victoria |
| The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) | State and Territory licencing Regulators | Western Australia |
| Trades Recognition Australia | The Commonwealth, state, and territory governments | National |
| Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) | The Commonwealth, state, and territory governments | National |
| Training Accreditation Council | The Commonwealth, state, and territory governments | Western Australia |
| Victorian Registration and Qualification Authority | The Commonwealth, state, and territory governments | Victoria |
| State Training Authorities | The Commonwealth, state, and territory governments | All States and Territories |
| Australian Trade Training College | RTO | Queensland |
| VETASSESS | RTO | Victoria |
| TAFE NSW | RTO | New South Wales |
| Charles Darwin University | RTO | Northern Territory |
| Avante Education Pty Ltd | RTO | Northern Territory |
| TAFE TAS | RTO | Tasmania |
| The Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre | RTO | National |
Please refer to the Project Overview for more information on our Consultation Strategy.
