Occupational Trainees

The Occupational Trainee Program offers students the opportunity to get involved in leading edge research into water and wastewater management and treatment. Visiting students participating in this program will spend a minimum of 6 months working within our centre under the supervision of one of our experienced academics. The program will provide you with a structured workplace training schedule to enhance your skills and promote international collaborations.  If you are interested in this program, please take the time to read about our research programs described on the AWMC website or peruse the profiles of our research academics to gain a better understanding of our research activities and to highlight which of these aligns with your particular career path. Once you have determined one or more programs of interest, please contact the relevant academics or send an email to hr@awmc.uq.edu.au, including your up-to-date curriculum vitae.  

What is An Occupational Trainee

The Occupational Trainee Visa (Subclass 422) allows people to complete a workplace-based training in Australia on a temporary basis, up to two years. The training provides participants with additional or enhanced skills in the nominated occupations, tertiary studies or fields of expertise. This visa is sometimes used by visitors who do not hold a PhD and are not eligible for the 419 visiting academic visa.

Current Opportunities

Not all opportunities are listed here but specific projects that require help are:

Bioelectrochemical systems:

The BES and the Anaerobic Technologies research groups are looking for a motivated candidate for an exciting project in the area of energy recovery and chemical production from waste streams. During the training, the candidate will develop a deep understanding on processes and operations of bioelectrochemical systems, electrosynthesis, microbial anaerobic metabolism. The position is suitable for a final year diploma thesis.
The applicant should have a background in chemical engineering/biotechnology, preferably with some experience with analytical techniques and lab-scale processes. Minimum stay is 6 months. This is a non-paid training position.
For more information and applications, please contact Dr Bernardino Virdis b.virdis@uq.edu.au

Water Recycling Program Area:

The Advanced Water Management Centre (Brisbane, Australia), is looking for an occupational trainee to join its Water Recycling Research team and work on a project on the assessment of coagulation-flocculation as a pre-treatment for adsorption of organic micropollutants on activated carbon. During this training period, the candidate will develop a strong understanding of adsorption processes and competition between organic matter and organic micropollutants. This placement will offer the candidate an opportunity to work with advanced analytical tools such as liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LCMSMS) and size exclusion chromatography. If you have basic knowledge in chemistry and/or experience in adsorption processes and are strongly motivated to work for an internationally recognised research group in the area of water and wastewater treatment, please contact us! The position is for a period of 6 months minimum, applications are accepted at all times. This is a non-paid training position. For more information on this offer, contact Dr Julien Reungoat j.reungoat@awmc.uq.edu.au

Who Can Apply

You must meet one or more of the following requirements:

have been employed in their current occupation, studying or engaged in their field of expertise for at least the last 12 months (unless exceptional circumstances justify that a visa should be granted despite a shorter period or experience
have recently graduated from a foreign educational institution
seeking occupational training in a closely related field
undertaking research in their field of study (other than full time research towards a further qualification)

To be eligible for an Occupational Trainee Visa you must meet all of the following requirements:

be sponsored by the Advanced Water Management Centre
be identified in an approved nomination for occupational training
be seeking to enter and remain in Australia to undertake the occupational training identified in the nomination
be at least 18 years of age (unless exceptional circumstances justify a visa being granted to a person under the age of 18)
have sufficient English language skills
have adequate arrangements for health insurance for the duration of their stay in Australia
be of good health and character

What do I Get Sponsored?

There are 2 steps to applying for an Occupational Trainee Visa; both are out lined in detail below.

Step 1 – Preparing the invitation letter

Once you have successfully secured an occupational traineeship with one of our research academics, a Letter of Invitation will be issued to confirm your visitor status for the purpose of a visa application.
We will send the Letter of Invitation and all information provided by you to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), seeking a Letter of Approval for your visit. This usually takes six to eight weeks depending on the workload at the Immigration Department; thus, it is important that the information you send us is as complete as possible. Incomplete information can lead to further delays in the visa application process.
When DIAC approves your visit, they will send us a Letter of Approval, which we will forward to you together with the Letter of Invitation. To speed up the process, we usually email these documents to you. It is, therefore, important that we have a valid email address.
Once you have both the University Letter of Invitation and DIAC’s Letter of Approval you can apply for an Occupational Trainee Visa from the Australian Embassy in your country.

Step 2 – Nominee applies for the visa

You, as the nominee, must complete the application for a temporary residence visa (non-business) and attach all necessary documentation as outlined in the 442 Applicant Checklist
The following checklist can assist you in completing the application form:

Completing the application form

The Application for a temporary resident visa (non-business) can be found on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) web site.

The following questions on the application form will always remain the same, you will need to complete the application with the following details as well as your personal details.

Part A:

1. 422

2. No

5. Yes

Sponsor Name: The University of Queensland

Sponsorship Application ID number: 12345678

It is mandatory to complete Part G of the application form. You will be required to attach a photo of yourself and any other family members who are included on the application to the front of the application page.

Whether you are in or outside of Australia all applications will need to be lodged to the Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre:

Post: Department of Immigration and Citizenship Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre GPO Box 2399 Adelaide SA 5001  Australia

Courier Address:  Department of Immigration and Citizenship Adelaide Occupational Trainee Processing Centre Level 4 (West) 55 Currie Street  Adelaide SA 5000 Australia

Email: otv.adelaide@immi.gov.au

Health Insurance

To be granted the Occupational Trainee Visa the nominee and any family members must show that they have adequate health insurance for the first 12 months of the training program, or if less than 12 months, the period of the training.

DIAC Note: Overseas Student Health Insurance cannot be used for Occupational Trainee Visa applications.

Change in Circumstances

You must notify DIAC of any change in your circumstances that may breach your visa conditions.

Change of Sponsorship

If you decide to undertake training with another organisation while in Australia, you will need to be sponsored by the new organisation. When the new nomination is approved, you will be able to train with that organisation for the period remaining on the visa without having to re-apply for a new visa.