Undertaking the Licensed Electrician's Assessment

Overview

The Licensed Electrician's Assessment (LEA) is made up of 3 assessments. You must pass all 3 to get an electrician's licence in Victoria.

The 3 assessments are described here.

Licensed Electrician's Theory

Assesses your knowledge in the form of a written examination on a broad range of electrical knowledge.
(2 hours 15 minutes including reading time).

Safe Working Practice

Assesses your ability to safely isolate, disconnect then reconnect electrical equipment.
(50 minutes including reading time).

Licensed Electrician’s Practical

Assesses your ability to design and connect a meter panel and switchboard, identify visual defects and reference the defects to the Australian Standards, and test an installation including a Main Earth Neutral (MEN) system.
(4 hours including reading time).

Optional preparation courses

Some training centres offer optional preparation courses for the LEA. These courses may assist your preparation for the 3 assessments.

Authorisation to sit the LEA

The evidence you need to provide before you can sit the LEA depends on the path you have taken.

Apprentices

Apprentices must provide evidence to the assessment venue that they're authorised to take the LEA assessment(s).

You'll provide a letter to the assessment venue to meet this requirement. You'll get the letter from your Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This is called an 'Authorisation to Undertake the Licensed Electrician’s Assessment (LEA)'. It states that you've completed all the required units of competence and can attempt the LEA.

You'll need this letter before you can book an assessment.

Existing electrician's licence holders

You don't have to inform Energy Safe Victoria before you take the LEA if you're an existing licence holder. You'll only need to provide details of your current licence to the assessment body – this is your proof of authorisation.

Supervised Worker's licence holders

Your Supervised Worker's licence is your evidence for the LET and LEP assessments.

Registered Electrical Contractors (REC)

You may need to re-attempt the LEA if you're applying to register as an REC. Your A Grade electrician's licence is your evidence for booking the LEA.

Electrical Fitters

If you're using the Electrical Fitter's pathway, send a request for an 'LEA Authorisation Letter' to licensing@energysafe.vic.gov.au

You'll need to send:

• evidence of an electrical fitter apprenticeship ¹
• a copy of your Certificate of Electrical Fitter qualification.

¹ If you can't locate evidence of your apprenticeship, see Replacement of apprenticeship certificates (VRQA)

Expired electrician's licence

If your licence has expired, Energy Safe must provide approval for you to sit the assessments. To get our approval, contact us with information about why you're making the request by emailing licensing@energysafe.vic.gov.au

You'll need to send:

• evidence of an electrical fitter apprenticeship¹
• your expired licence details.

¹ If you can't locate evidence of your apprenticeship, see Replacement of apprenticeship certificates (VRQA)

Assessment venues

You may book your LEA assessments at any of the following assessment venues.

Safe Working Practice (SWP) assessment may be provided by:

• Future Energy Skills(opens in a new window)
• GOTAFE(opens in a new window) (Shepparton and Wangaratta)
• Melbourne Polytechnic(opens in a new window)
• Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology(opens in a new window)
• Sunraysia Institute of TAFE(opens in a new window) (Mildura)
• The Gordon(opens in a new window) (Geelong).

Licensed Electrician’s Theory (LET) assessment may be provided by:

• Future Energy Skills(opens in a new window)
• GOTAFE (opens in a new window)(Shepparton and Wangaratta)
• Melbourne Polytechnic(opens in a new window)
• Sunraysia Institute of TAFE(opens in a new window) (Mildura)
• The Gordon(opens in a new window) (Geelong)

Licensed Electrician’s Practical (LEP) assessment may be provided by:

• Future Energy Skills(opens in a new window)
• Melbourne Polytechnic(opens in a new window)

Results

Successful completion of an assessment requires a result of 75% or higher.

You'll receive a letter advising you of your result on successful assessment completion. You must send a copy of this letter to us when applying for an electrician's licence.

If you get a result of 41% or more, but less than 75% in the LET or LEP, you're not permitted to reattempt that type of assessment for 14 days.

If you get a result of less than 75% in the SWP you're not permitted to reattempt the SWP for 14 days.

Excessive attempts

If you get a score of 40% or lower for the LET or LEP assessment you may have conditions imposed upon you before you can reattempt that assessment.

If you attempt the same assessment 6 times or more you may have conditions imposed upon you before you can reattempt that assessment.

Conditions that may be imposed include:

• completing a paper review of the assessment with the assessment venue
• completing a face-to-face review of the assessment with the assessment venue
• attending a course of training or tutorial for the relevant assessment.

Assessment venues need our permission to accept a booking from anyone that has conditions imposed on them.

Sample assessments

Sample of the LEA assessments are available, see: LEA Sample papers and marking guides

Reference materials

You'll need to bring a paper copy of the following reference material to your assessment.

If you do not have a copy, it will not be provided to you. Your copies of standards are permitted to have unlimited highlighting. Unlimited (place marker) tabs may be used however, all tabs must be clean and unmarked. The standards must not contain any hand written notes, or printed notes not in the original published version.

Licensed Electrician's Theory references

Licensed Electrician's Practical references

Equipment used in the assessments

For the Safe Working Practice and Licensed Electrician's Practical assessment you must supply your own insulation resistance and continuity tester, which must:

• be analogue
• not indicate Pass/Fail
• show a minimum of 250V/500V scale
• show a minimum of 2 continuity scales
• have a true moving coil meter.

For the Safe Working Practice assessment you must provide:

• insulating gloves rated to 650V, marked with the relevant Australian Standard AS2225, IEC 903 or AS/NZS IEC 60903
• a flame-resistant outer which also provides mechanical protection.

All other testing instruments and tools required for the practical assessments will be supplied by the assessment venue however, this does not stop you from providing your own tools.

Note

You:

• can use a silent, non-programmable calculator
• may not use any electrical devices including mobile phones and tablets
• must use a pen for all written answers and calculations.

OH&S requirements for assessments

You must wear appropriate clothing and footwear to all assessments.

This follows Section 11 of AS/NZS 4836:2023 which requires:

• long sleeves
• long pants
• covered footwear.

You won't be able to enter the assessment if you're wearing:

• shorts
• a T-shirt
• inappropriate footwear.

Special consideration

We recognise that candidates may need to apply for special consideration when attempting the LEA.

'Special consideration' is a process that aligns the assessments to the principle of reasonable adjustment. An assessment may be adjusted to meet the needs of an individual – while not compromising the standard required in the assessment.

Special consideration can be provided for medical and other extenuating circumstances – to provide extra time or special conditions to assist you to complete your assessments.

Any special consideration granted will apply to all future attempts of that assessment unless otherwise specified.

Energy Safe has the right to withdraw any special consideration if:

• the application is found to be false
• the application is found to be misleading
• the candidate’s circumstances have changed.

Anyone with medical or exceptional circumstances can apply. See Special Consideration for electrical licence assessments

Licensing assessment appeals

You can appeal your assessment result. Any appeal should follow the process in place at the venue where you attempted the assessment.

Before you can lodge an appeal for:

• the LET or LEP assessment you must have completed both a paper review and a face-to-face review
• the SWP assessment, you must have completed a video review.

If the matter is unable to be resolved using the above process, you have the right to raise an appeal with us.

To appeal your licensing assessment result, download and return a completed Licensing Assessment Appeal Form:

by email to: assessmentaudit@energysafe.vic.gov.au

Complaints

If you have a complaint, follow your assessment venue's complaint process.

If you can't resolve your complaint with the venue, you have the right to raise a complaint with us. Provide the complaint by email to: assessmentaudit@energysafe.vic.gov.au

You should provide all relevant details, including:

• the assessor and venue
• assessment details such as date, time and location
• the complaints process followed, including details or evidence of either:
  • paper-review
  • face-to-face review
  • video review (as applicable)
  • any other processes taken.

All complaints must be made by the person complaining, not from an external party.