TRA Job Ready Program: when it applies to Irish trades (and when it doesn't)

There is widespread confusion about whether Irish tradies should use the Job Ready Program (JRP). For most of them, the answer is no.

§01When JRP applies

JRP applies when the trade qualification was completed at a CRICOS-registered Australian institution (typically while on a student visa). It involves four steps over twelve months and 1,725 hours of paid employment with a TRA-approved employer.

§02The four JRP steps

• 01Step 1: Provisional Skills Assessment (PSA): $130. Verifies the Australian VET qualification and at least 360 hours of post-qualification work.
• 02Step 2: Job Ready Employment (JRE): $490. Register 1,725 hours of paid employment over twelve months with a TRA-approved employer.
• 03Step 3: Job Ready Workplace Assessment (JRWA): $2,845. Practical workplace assessment after 863 hours.
• 04Step 4: Job Ready Final Assessment (JRFA): $75. Paperwork completion after the full 1,725 hours.
• 05Total: $3,540 over twelve months.

§03What Irish-qualified tradies use instead

Tradies who completed their qualification in Ireland (Solas, City and Guilds, ITB) use either TRA Offshore Skills Assessment Program (OSAP), applicable to thirty-plus occupations, or the Migration Skills Assessment (MSA). Both involve a paper-based skills assessment, possibly a technical interview, and (for some trades) a practical assessment.