International Students, Graduates or Skilled Workers in Thomastown working in Manufacturing? A skills assessment may be a very important step of your Australian migration journey if you have qualifications or work experience in manufacturing, production, engineering, machinery or related trades.
Thomastown holds a place in the City of Whittlesea which is known for its large manufacturing industry. In 2021–22, the City of Whittlesea had 9,975 workers in manufacturing and approximately 8,370 local jobs in manufacturing, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census and the City of Whittlesea’s manufacturing industry profile. It found that 51% of manufacturing workers were born overseas, further emphasising the vital role migrants play in the local manufacturing workforce.
If you have recently moved to Melbourne or are looking to study in the city, knowing how your foreign qualifications and Australian employment might be evaluated can assist with next career and immigration points.
Why is Manufacturing Important in Thomastown?
The manufacturing and industrial workforce in Thomastown and across the Whittlesea area are steeped in history.
The local manufacturing industry is represented by the following:
- Fabricated metal products
- Machinery and equipment
- Food manufacturing
- Furniture manufacturing
- Transport equipment
- Non-metallic mineral products
- Textile, clothing and related manufacturing
City of Whittlesea data states that manufacturing provides many local jobs and that 49.5% of manufacturing workers in Whittlesea live in the municipality. Technicians and trades workers, machinery operators and drivers, managers, professionals, and labourers further constitute the manufacturing workforce.
This makes Thomastown especially relevant to migrants: those often entering, or already building their careers in the local manufacturing sector.
What is a Skills Assessment?
A skills assessment assesses a candidate’s qualifications, experience and employment history, against the requirements of an eligible Australian occupation.
Migration Skills assessments are completed by the relevant assessing authority for a selected occupation (Australian Department of Home Affairs, n.d.). A valid skills assessment may also be required depending on the stream through which you wish to apply for a visa.
This is relevant if you want to have a points-tested skilled migration, for instance through a skills assessment:
- Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
- Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
- Skilled Work Regional visa (subclass 491)
However, a positive skill assessment will not guarantee you a visa or an invitation. Your profession, score, English level, visa condition and state or territory requirements could be taken into consideration as well.
Who Should Consider a Skills Assessment in Thomastown?
If you are an overseas student, a Thomastown graduate or migrant, the skills assessment may be worth pursuing if:
- Has an overseas qualification related to manufacturing
- Has professional manufacturing experience from overseas
- Is currently working in manufacturing in Australia
- Has completed an Australian qualification relevant to their occupation
- Works in production, manufacturing management or a related skilled occupation
- Has a trade background and wants to understand whether their skills can be recognised
- Is planning a future skilled migration pathway
More importantly, your job title may not be sufficient for determining your nominated occupation.
You must also take into account the actual duties, qualifications and experience and skill levels for finding the correct occupation.
Manufacturing Occupations and Skills Assessment
Various manufacturing occupations have different making evaluation prerequisites and assessing specialists.
At VETASSESS, our assessing body determines Australian skills as belonging to a professional (specialist) or non-professional class, with a few exceptions and they assess occupations associated mainly with construction and manufacturing. Usually, its appraisal steps are a mixture of information on qualification and work experience.
An example of this is that VETASSESS currently lists Manufacturer (ANZSCO 133411) as a professional occupation. The assessment requires that the years of employment not only be in a relevant field, but also at an appropriate skill level for this occupation.
The process can be different if you’re coming from a trade as opposed to a professional manufacturing occupation. VETASSESS currently evaluates various in demand trade occupations for migration eligibility, however the pathway you must follow can differ depending on whether you hold formal qualifications or are a skilled worker within your occupation.
And this is why you need to choose the right occupation before getting started with a skills assessment application.
What About International Students Living in Thomastown?
International students often begin their Australian journey with a course and then look for work experience opportunities that might help them in the real world.
If you are in your studies or is a recent graduate, instead of waiting until the expiry of your present visa to think about the next steps in your career pathway, outline it as early as possible.
A student would progress from, say:
Study → Relevant employment → Skills development → Skills assessment → Potential skilled migration pathway
NOTE: This is just an example, not the only migration path guaranteed Based on your occupation, qualification, experience in relation to the respective visa conditions and migration rules at that period of time are the actual choices you have.
According to the Department of Home Affairs applicants for points-tested skilled visas typically require a suitable skills assessment in the nominated occupation, and it must be on the appropriate skilled occupation list.
What Documents May You Need?
The documents you need depend on your occupation/ assessing authority. Based on your problem, you will need proof such as:
- Passport and identity documents
- Educational qualifications
- Academic transcripts
- Employment reference letters
- Evidence of employment dates
- Payslips or other employment evidence
- Tax and superannuation records
- CV or resume
- Evidence of relevant duties and responsibilities
- Australian qualifications or licences, where applicable
For trade assessments, the evidence and assessment process can vary depending on whether you have an Australian qualification or licence and which pathway applies to you.
Keep your employment records from the beginning. This can be particularly important for international students who start building Australian work experience after completing their studies.
Manufacturing is Still a Significant Australian Industry
Not just Thomastown or even just Melbourne.
As of March 2026 could not show data that Jobs and Skills Australia, which reported it found around 868,100 total persons employed in Australia’s manufacturing industry making up about 5.9% of Australia’s workforce.
This highlights that manufacturing continues to play an important role in the Australian labour market.
But even a highly skilled manufacturing workforce does not mean that every manufacturing job is necessarily be eligible for skilled migration. Individual circumstances also matter; occupation eligibility.
What Should You Do Before Applying?
Here are five things you should do before paying for your skills assessment.
1. Identify Your Occupation
Don’t pick a profession just because the title is vaguely similar to what you are doing. For the relevant occupation description, compare your actual duties and fulfilment of qualifications and experience against the description.
2. Check the Assessing Authority
Assessing authorities and requirements vary according to the occupation. It is recommended that prospective applicants get an assessment from the relevant authority if one is required by the Department of Home Affairs.
3. Review Your Qualifications
Depending on the occupation and assessing authority, your overseas qualification may need to be assessed against Australian standards.
4. Organise Your Employment Evidence
Start collecting documents that demonstrate where you worked, how long you worked and what duties you performed.
5. Look at the Bigger Migration Picture
Part of the assessment is to gather skills. You should also analyze the scope of your English exam score, age, profession and job experience, points etc; you might want to check what visa class you are eligible for and whether or not the state/government sponsored work opportunities.
Can a Skills Assessment Guarantee PR?
No.While a successful skills assessment in the relevant nominated occupation may be necessary for various skilled migration routes it does not guarantee you have permanent residence.
To illustrate, the Department of Home Affairs has specified number of requirements which an applicant for subclass 190 needs to meet before they can apply: eligible occupation, skills assessment and invitation along with points test and others.
Likewise submitting an Expression of Interest does not ensure you receive an invitation. Depending on the government priorities and demand, invitation numbers and occupations can vary.
That is why the migration strategy of you should not be determined purely on your location or job title but rather by the nuances around your specific situation.
Planning Your Skills Assessment in Thomastown?
If you’re an international student, graduate or manufacturing worker in Thomastown, knowing your skills assessment requirements early on will help you make informed decisions about your career choices, studies and migration pathways.
Our migration agents in Thomastown at Asia Pacific Group have an extensive knowledge of the Australian education and migration sectors.
Regardless of if you are still studying, you graduated recently or already working in the manufacturing sector around Thomastown, it is always good to have some professional guidance early on so that you can understand what paths may be open to you.
Do you want to clarify skills assessment or migration options? Email us at Asia Pacific Group to get personalised assistance.
Important Disclaimer
Migration law, Occupation Lists, Assessment requirements and visa criteria can be changed. This article provides general information which is not intended to be formal migration or legal advice. Of course, always confirm the most recent prerequisites with both the appropriate assessing authority and also the Australian Division of Home Affairs before submitting an application for a visa.
