Ptlabs Consulting

Overview of ACS Skills Assessments

Australian skilled visas - The first step: Skills Assessments
Applicants for an Australian skilled permanent visa generally will need to show evidence that a suitable skills assessment has been obtained. For some applicants like overseas students studying in Australia, different rules may apply, but by and large most independent applicants must have gone through a relevant skills assessment before applying for a skilled visa.

For IT professionals, a skills assessment should be lodged with the Australian Computer Society.

Ptlabs Consulting has extensive experience and expertise in assisting and advising clients who are applying for a skills assessment with the Australian Computer Society.

You may wish to review testimonials from our past and present clients.


Australian Computer Society skills assessments
The ACS categorises applicants into four broad categories:
• Group A: Candidates with an IT degree.
• Group B: Candidates with an IT diploma or degree with a minor in IT.
• Group C: Eligible recent IT graduates of Australian universities.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Candidates without formal IT qualifications, but with extensive professional IT work experience.

The ACS is the skills assessing authority for all IT occupations.

All applicants for a skills assessment, whether under Group A, B or RPL, will need to show professional IT work experience. Group C applicants do not need to show IT work experience under certain circumstances.


How many years of IT work experience do I need?
If you are assessed to be a Group A applicant:
• if your degree major is relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 2 years of professional full time IT work experience.
• if your degree major is not relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 4 years of professional full time IT work experience.
Work experience for Group A applicants must be within 7 years before the date of skills assessment application to the ACS.

If Group B:
• if your degree (with a minor in IT) is relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 5 years of professional full time IT work experience.
• if your IT diploma is relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 5 years of professional full time IT work experience.
• if your degree (with a minor in IT) is not relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 6 years of professional full time IT work experience.
• if your IT diploma is not relevant to your nominated occupation, you will need at least 6 years of professional full time IT work experience.
Work experience for Group A applicants must be within 10 years before the date of skills assessment application to the ACS.

For RPL candidates with a degree/diploma in any discipline: 6 years.
For RPL candidates without a degree/diploma in any discipline: 8 years.

Note that it is crucial that IT work experience must be at a professional level and closely related to the intended nominated occupation.


What is the RPL?
RPL stands for Recognition of Prior Learning, and is the pathway for a skills assessment from the ACS for applicants who either:
• have a degree or diploma in a non-IT discipline; or
• do not have a degree or diploma in any discipline.

The RPL is not an exam per se. It consists of a lengthy form where applicants need to demonstrate their prior knowledge of what is called the Key Areas of Knowledge (KAK) expected of all IT professionals in Australia. Ptlabs Consulting has a long and very successful record of assisting clients with their RPL applications since 2003.


Initial Assessment Service
If you would like to get an initial assessment on your eligibility for an ACS skills assessment, or if you would like to have a professional opinion on your work experience's suitability for the ACS skills assessment process, please use our Assessment tool.