The Job Ready Program, explained simply
The Job Ready Program (JRP) is run by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). It is the skills-assessment pathway for international graduates who finished an Australian trade qualification and want a full skills assessment — usually for skilled migration.
This page is preparation material, not official TRA guidance. Rules, fees and timelines change — always check tradesrecognitionaustralia.gov.au for the current details.
The four stages
Stage 1 — PSA
Provisional Skills Assessment
The entry step, applied for separately. TRA checks your Australian trade qualification and about 360 hours of relevant work experience or vocational placement. Many people use the PSA result for the 485 visa. The outcome is valid for 3 years.
Stage 2 — JRE
Job Ready Employment
You work in your trade with a TRA-approved employer for at least 12 months full-time equivalent (about 1,725 hours). During this time you record your hours and submit your Employment Confirmation and a Skills Progress Report (SPR) — a record of the real work you are doing.
Stage 3 — JRWA
Job Ready Workplace Assessment
The big day. A TRA-approved assessor visits your workplace. They review your SPR, watch you do everyday tasks, interview you about your trade knowledge, and test your practical skills against the standard of an Australian tradesperson. The outcome is Job Ready or Not Yet Job Ready (a review or a paid re-assessment may be possible).
Stage 4 — JRFA
Job Ready Final Assessment
The final check that everything is complete: a successful workplace assessment, your 12 months of employment, and verified work records. The outcome letter is your full skills assessment, used for skilled-visa applications.
What the assessor checks on the day
Your Skills Progress Report
The assessor reads your SPR before and during the visit. It should honestly describe the real tasks you have been doing at work.
Watching you work
You will be asked to do everyday tasks of your trade. Assessors look at preparation, safe work habits, the order you do things in, quality checks, and clean-up — not just the finished result.
A knowledge interview
Expect questions about your tools, materials, safety (like PPE and hazardous substances), and why you do tasks a certain way.
Practical skill tests
Some tasks are set by the assessor to test your skills directly, at the standard expected of an Australian tradesperson.
“Not Yet Job Ready” is not the end — but it costs time and money. The best preparation is real competence: knowing your tools, working safely, and being able to explain what you do and why. That is exactly what TradeReady practises with you.
How TradeReady helps
Short videos show each tool and task the way assessors expect to see it. The Tools Library covers what every tool is for and how to use it safely. Practice quizzes check your knowledge with fresh questions every attempt. And our one-day workshops put the real tools in your hands before the assessment does.
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