To verify trade qualifications, check each document with the body that issued it, not on the copy the candidate sent. A training certificate is checked through the candidate's USI transcript and the training organisation, a high risk work licence through the state work safety regulator, a white card by sighting it and, where the issuing state has a register, searching that register, and a trade licence on the state register.
Some checks are quick online lookups, and others need the candidate's help or a phone call. This guide gives the order to work through and what each check does and does not prove.
Which document are you checking, and who can confirm it?
Each document is confirmed by the body that issued it, so start by sorting what the candidate gave you into four groups.
- Qualification or statement of attainment. Issued by a registered training organisation (RTO). Confirm through the candidate's USI transcript and the national training register.
- High risk work licence. Issued by a state work safety regulator. Confirm with that regulator.
- White card. Issued through a state or territory body. Sight the card, and use the issuing state's register where it has one.
- Trade licence or registration. Issued by a state regulator. Confirm on its public register.
Note the result against each document. Electricians have their own Victorian process, set out in the guide to checking an A-grade electrician's licence.
The same checks apply whoever sources the candidate, so with any agency, ask what it has checked and ask to see the record. Chandler Personnel provides labour hire and permanent recruitment for trades and services employers.
How do you check a qualification or statement of attainment?
Ask the candidate to share their USI transcript, then look up the training organisation on training.gov.au. A USI VET transcript can be shared with employers as a printed copy or digitally by email, link and QR code. It lists completed nationally recognised training from 1 January 2015 and is free and government authenticated.
The transcript has limits. USI says it does not replace the certificate or statement of attainment an RTO issued, and that you should contact the RTO if you doubt a document. Training from before 2015, overseas training and training that is not nationally recognised does not appear, and the Registrar cannot guarantee the transcript is complete or accurate, because RTOs report quarterly or annually. A missing line is a question for the candidate, not proof of a fake.
For the second check, search training.gov.au, the national register of RTOs approved to deliver nationally recognised training. Look up the RTO named on the certificate and check that the qualification is on its scope. ASQA says an RTO cannot issue certification for anything outside its scope of registration.
A trade certificate is not a welding ticket. The guide to hiring boilermakers explains that welding qualifications are range based, covering process, position, material and thickness.
How do you check a high risk work licence?
Sight the licence, read the class, then confirm it with the regulator that issued it where the regulator offers a check. WorkSafe Victoria's high risk work licence page lists 30 classes, including forklift truck (LF) and order-picking forklift truck (LO), and says the licence is valid for five years.
In Victoria, WorkSafe says an employer or work site can validate a digital licence on the WorkSafe website. Plastic licences have built-in security features and cannot be validated online, so for a plastic card the check is in person: the photo, the class and the expiry date. A card holder can link their card to a myWorkSafe account to get a digital licence, which is the version an employer can validate online, so ask for it where you can.
Queensland is one example of another state's method. WorkSafe Queensland says a valid licence shows a photograph, an expiry date and all endorsements, and that businesses should view the physical card and keep a copy on the worker's file. They may also check by phone or the online search, and if they find a problem the worker should not do the work.
The guide to hiring forklift drivers through an agency sets out the LF and LO classes and explains why a licence does not prove competence on your machine.
What does white card verification involve?
A white card shows that the holder completed general construction induction training, and it says nothing about trade skill. In Victoria, WorkSafe says an employer must not allow a person to perform construction work without a valid construction induction card, and that a card obtained lawfully in another state or territory is recognised there.
Victorian training must be face to face with an approved RTO, and online white card courses are not accepted. WorkSafe's pages on white cards do not describe an employer lookup, so sight the card and contact WorkSafe's Licensing Branch if you doubt it.
New South Wales works differently. SafeWork NSW says NSW white cards can be looked up and verified online through Verify NSW. That covers NSW cards only.
How do you check a trade licence or registration?
Search the state regulator's public register and check the status, the type of work allowed and any conditions. In Victoria, the Building and Plumbing Commission says its public search tools show whether a practitioner is registered or licensed, what work they may do and whether limits apply. It adds that you should not rely only on business cards or what someone tells you.
The same page points to a register of disciplinary and prosecution action, though not every complaint appears there. Consumer Affairs Victoria says plumbers, gasfitters and drainers carry an identification card, and that electricians are licensed by Energy Safe Victoria. These statements cover Victoria only, so use the regulator in the state where the work happens.
What should you record, and what do these checks not prove?
Record the document, the issuer, the number, the date you checked, the result and who checked it. USI's third party page says a downloaded transcript must not be shared with any other party without the individual's permission, so keep it with the personnel file and do not pass it around. Diarise the expiry date of every licence, because an old copy on file proves nothing about today. Tell the candidate which checks you will run before you run them, and keep only the copies and results you need.
These checks show that a document is genuine and current. They do not show how the person works on your equipment, so add a practical test for the job. This article is general information only, so check the linked government pages or get advice for your own situation.
Related Resources
- Maintenance electrician qualifications
- Legal considerations when hiring blue collar workers
- How USI access and permissions work
- What a USI VET transcript shows
- Validate a WorkSafe Victoria licence
- Check a NSW white card
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an employer look up a candidate's USI record?
USI says nobody can view a VET transcript without the person's permission. The candidate shares it as a printed copy, or by email, link or QR code, and the online record can be opened to check that the details match. It does not replace the original certificate.
How do I check an RTO on training.gov.au?
Search the national register for the RTO named on the certificate, then check its status and that the qualification sits on its scope. An RTO cannot issue a qualification outside its scope. To confirm what the RTO actually delivered to this candidate, contact the RTO.
Can I check a high risk work licence online in Victoria?
Only for a digital licence. WorkSafe Victoria says digital licences can be validated on its website, while plastic cards have built-in security features and cannot be. For a plastic card, sight it and check the photo, class and expiry date, and ask whether the holder has a digital licence you can validate.
Is there an online white card check?
It depends on the state. New South Wales has an online white card check. The WorkSafe Victoria white card pages do not describe an employer lookup, so sight the card and contact WorkSafe if you doubt it.
How long does a high risk work licence last?
WorkSafe Victoria and WorkSafe Queensland both say five years. Record the expiry date when you check the card. In Queensland, WorkSafe says that if a renewal is lodged after the expiry date, the licence is no longer valid and the holder is not authorised to do that work.
Verify Trade Qualifications Before the First Shift
Verify trade qualifications by sorting each candidate's documents into four groups and checking each with the body that issued it. Ask for the USI transcript early, because it depends on the candidate, and book a short practical check for the work itself. Keep a dated record of every result with the personnel file. As a first step, pick the last tradesperson you hired and run the four checks on their file to see which records are missing.
