@engr_anna24 said:
Hello everyone! I just wanna gather insights on my case since I just started my research on immigrating to Aus. I am a Civil Engineer working as a QC engineer for horizontal projects for more than 4 years now. I'm not confident if I can pass the skilled assessment sa Engineers Australia since I've been doing more paper works and not so much on the technical on-field work. I was thinking of getting a VET or an associate degree but the education agent told me it would be risky and masters is the safer route. I'm quite confused why mas risky po yung VET and associate degree? Also, I'm quite hesitant to get masters since it's quite expensive. Would love to hear from everyone. Thank you!
It's "risky" because VET and associate degree are lower than bachelor's degree on the AQF (Australian Qualification Framework). A bachelor's degree is Level 7 on the AQF, whereas Diploma is Level 5 and Advanced Diploma/Associate Degree is Level 6. If you're a CE (I'm assuming you have a bachelor's degree in CE), it doesn't make sense to study an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering in Australia because you're downgrading.
A master's degree is AQF Level 9, which is an upgrade from Level 7 (bachelor's degree), so most education agents will suggest this to increase the likelihood of getting a visa. Yes, the master's degree is expensive, mainly because only universities and very few private institutions offer them. And universities cost a lot to run (just think of the facilities, extensive library resources, and student services that you can access). VET courses are offered by smaller institutions, which have smaller facilities, fewer resources, limited student services (as compared to universities), and I assume that's why the fees are half the cost of studying at universities.
It may, however, be possible to do a VET course if you're looking to specialize in topics not taught in your bachelor's degree, and you'll state that in your GTE. Maybe you want to specialize in Project Management or something; it's related to CE, but it's not covered in detail in CE bachelor's degree. But whether you get approved for studies at a lower AQF is at the DHA's discretion, but generally they would look into whether the Australian program will be of benefit to you according to your career goals/aspirations (career development).
Look into the Ministerial Direction 69 to get an insight of what they're looking for in the GTE (as this is required for student visa application).
