ACS Skills Assessment Australia

Its important that you conduct your skills assessment through the correct skills assessing body. Even if you presume that ACS is the skills assessing body for your occupation, it may be wise to verify it. You can simply verify your skills assessing authority by visiting the skilled occupation list of the Department of Home Affairs webpage. Here is a short video guide for you to check your skills assessing authority.

However the below table has the list of occupations that the ACS conducts skills assessments for:

Once you have verified that the skills assessment for your occupation is conducted by the ACS, then its time for you to select the correct skills assessment pathway for your occupation and circumstances. The ACS has 3 skills assessment pathways, they are:

1. Post Australian Study pathway

2. General Skills pathway:

3. Recognition of Prior Learning pathway

This is for international students who have completed an Australian bachelor's degree or higher with an IT or Data Science major.

Eligibility:

• Completed an Australian bachelor’s degree or higher with a major in IT or data science.

• The major must be closely related to the nominated occupation and ANZSCO code

AND one of the following:

• Have 1 year (at least 20 hours per week) of professional IT work experience in Australia or overseas completed after the completion date of the relevant degree OR

• Have completed ACS Professional Year

What is an ACS Professional Year?

The ACS Professional Year in IT is a job-readiness program that bridges the gap between full-time study and employment in Australia’s tech sector.

A professional year in IT constitutes:

• 32-week classroom-based work-readiness training (8 hrs/week)

• 13-week online mentorship and IT skills development journey

• 12-week local IT internship

• Complimentary ACS Membership

If you complete the Professional Year program you will also be eligible for 5 points in your general skilled migration program.

This pathway is for migrants who have experience in IT or Data Science with recognised tertiary qualifications and a substantial background of several years in the field. This is a pathway taken by many professionals in the IT sector.

Eligibility

To be eligible you must fulfill either the IT criteria or Data Science criteria.

This is for migrants who are IT or Data Science professionals with ample experience in the field but lack a formal IT or Data Science tertiary qualification.

Eligibility

• 6 years of relevant work experience – your most recent work experience must be active or within the last 2 years (20 hours per week) prior to submission of your assessment application.

• Provide 2 Project Reports

• Provide professional currency evidence

What are Project Reports?

Project Reports are a way to substantiate your IT knowledge acquisition. You will have to provide 2 reports. One report should chronicle a project completed within the last two years while the other report should document a project from within the last four years. If you have been working in non- project roles you will have to supply details of your work experience and the challenges you faced during your tenure.

What should you include in your Project Report?

• Describe a specific career episode from your professional history, providing detailed evidence of how you applied your IT knowledge in a practical work setting

• Detail a project that is relevant to your current/recent employment 

• Offer sufficient detail to showcase the depth and breadth of the IT knowledge you have accumulated during your career

What is Professional Currency Evidence?

A professional currency evidence demonstrates your skills and currency in your nominated occupation. You can provide the following as evidence:

1. Professional Training and Certification (non degree)- IT vendor certifications (e.g., CCNA), credentials, or certificates (completed or in progress)

2. Professional Artefacts- Attributed work or awards (e.g. publications, research, code, scripts, applications, databases, awards, patents, copyrights, websites, etc.).

3. professional Development and industry Engagement- Professional memberships, workshops, events, seminars, or speaking engagements.

You can also provide evidence out of the above 3 categories above, however all evidence must relate to your chosen skills and occupation and be completed within the last 2 years.

Identity documents- You will have to submit your current unexpired passport, Valid Govt ID bearing photo, CV, VEVO issued document or IMMI card or birth certificate. You will have to provide documents if there are any name changes

Qualification documents: You will have to submit all your ICT related qualifications like your degree, diplomas or any awards that you may have.

Work experience documents: You can submit your Professional Year award OR submit your employment references and evidences of payment, which can be your pay slips, bank statements citing that your salary payments etc.