Skills Assessment When Changing Occupation: Can You Assess a Different Field?
A common question: “I studied accounting but have worked as a Business Analyst for 5 years — can I lodge an assessment for BA?” Or: “I have a mechanical engineering degree but have worked in IT for years — can I get assessed for IT?”
The answer is not a simple “yes” or “no” — it depends on the assessing authority and how they assess.
The general principle
A skills assessment is not a check of whether your qualification has exactly the same name as the occupation. Most authorities assess based on practical experience in the occupation you want assessed — the qualification is context, not the only condition.
That said, each authority takes a different approach.
VETASSESS — the most flexible with occupation changes
A VETASSESS Professional assessment is based on the ANZSCO code of the occupation you want assessed, not the occupation you studied.
Common cases:
An accounting degree, working as a Business Analyst:
- VETASSESS may assess for the ANZSCO Business Analyst occupation if the BA experience is strong enough
- An accounting degree may be regarded as a “closely related field” — not entirely outside the field
- You need enough post-qualification experience in the correct BA role
A marketing degree, working as an HR Manager:
- More difficult — marketing and HR are not regarded as a related field
- VETASSESS may require very lengthy evidence of HR experience
What decides it: VETASSESS assesses the level of relevancy between the qualification and the occupation you want assessed. The further apart they are, the more experience is needed to compensate.
ACS — two different routes when moving into IT
ACS assesses the ICT field. If you are in another field and want to move into IT:
Skills Match (using an IT degree)
If you have a formal IT degree (Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems…) but previously studied or worked in another field — you can use Skills Match based on that IT degree.
RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning)
If you have no IT degree but have worked in IT in practice for many years — use RPL. ACS assesses your real ICT experience, with no IT degree needed.
Example: someone who studied healthcare but worked developing hospital management software for 6 years — they can lodge an ACS RPL for Software Engineer with a report documenting their real ICT experience.
The condition: the ICT experience must genuinely be ICT — not a user of systems, but someone developing, administering or analysing ICT.
Engineers Australia — the strictest
EA assesses engineering occupations and requires a suitable engineering qualification. This is the least flexible authority for occupation changes:
- You cannot get a mechanical engineer assessed with an economics degree
- You cannot get a software engineer assessed with an accounting degree
- The qualification must be in engineering (engineering or engineering technology)
If you have no engineering qualification: a Knowledge Assessment (KA) may be considered — but you still need to demonstrate foundational engineering knowledge.
TRA — practical trade occupations
TRA assesses trade occupations. The conditions:
- The experience must be in that specific trade (electrician, plumber, mechanic…)
- You cannot get an electrician assessed with carpentry experience, even though both are “trades”
TRA does not have a flexible “related trade” mechanism the way VETASSESS does for professionals.
ANMAC — exclusively for nurses and midwives
ANMAC only assesses nurses and midwives. You cannot use ANMAC for any other healthcare occupation.
Summary: which authority allows the most occupation change
| Authority | Flexibility with occupation change |
|---|---|
| VETASSESS | Highest — assesses relevancy; strong experience can compensate |
| ACS | High — RPL is dedicated to people without an IT degree |
| EA | Low — an engineering qualification is almost mandatory |
| TRA | Low — must be that specific trade |
| ANMAC | Not applicable — nurses/midwives only |
Practical steps to take
- Identify the ANZSCO code of the occupation you want assessed
- Find the authority responsible for that occupation at Finding the right assessing authority
- Read that authority’s specific assessment guidelines for that occupation
- Do a preliminary self-assessment: are your qualifications and experience enough?
- Contact the authority or a migration agent for an opinion before lodging the formal application