Industrial Awards

In Australia we have both State and Federal industrial awards which define conditions of work including pay rates. Pay levels tend to be defined in terms of educational awards, and presently are not aligned with the 10 levels of the current Australian Qualification Framework (AQF). Aligning pay levels with level of education has the benefit of being simple but is not entirely appropriate: it is only really relevant for one aspect of wage relativity.

Some examples which may or may not be obsolete as new awards are coming into play:

Metal Industry (South Australia)
{similar awards exist for building and other industries, though they can involve more complex wage classifications structures: too much division of labour}

C14 Production Employee Level I
C13 Production Employee Level II
C12 Production Employee Level III
C11 Production Employee Level IV
C10 Engineering Trades Person Level I
C9   Engineering Trades Person Level II / Engineering Technician Level I
C8   Engineering Trades Person Special Class Level I / Engineering Technician Level II
C7   Engineering Trades Person Special Class Level II / Engineering Technician Level III
C6   Advanced Engineering Trades Person Level I / Engineering Technician Level IV


Draughtspersons, Planners and Technical Officers

*C10 Engineering Trades Person - Level 1 (Not part of award, reference level only)

C9 Engineering Technician - Level 1
C8 Engineering Technician - Level 2
C7 Engineering Technician - Level 3
C6 Engineering Technician - Level 4
C5 Engineering Technician - Level 5
C4 Engineering Associate - Level 1
C3 Engineering Associate - Level 2
C2a Leading Technical Officer / Principal Engineering Supervisor / Trainer / Co-ordinator

In some earlier awards professional scientists and professional engineers were set at level C1

Professional Scientists (General Industries)
(APESMA classify's engineering technologists as professional scientists.)

Level 1A Professional Scientist
Level 1B Professional Scientist
Level 2 Professional Scientist
Level 3 Professional Scientist
Level 4 Professional Scientist

Professional Engineers (General Industries)

Level 1 Graduate
Level 2 Experienced Engineer
Level 3 Professional Engineer
Level 4 Professional Engineer

Technical Professionals
New Federal award covering scientists, engineers and information technologists.

Engineers Australia, only recognises and accredits qualifications for: engineering associates/officers, engineering technologists and professional engineers as part of the engineering team: excludes the engineering technicians shown in the awards.

Subject to various international accords engineering associates/officers are equated to engineering technicians elsewhere in the world. Not sure that such is valid, since engineering associates were never just drafters, nor trades persons in an engineering area of practice. Nor are the engineering technicians particaularly advanced level trade persons. For example electrician is not an abreviation of electrical engineering technician. An electrician needs to be licensed, whilst an electrical engineering technician does not need to be unless they do the work of an electrician. Electricians are primarily concerned with supply side of electricity, from the GPO in the wall, back to the power station. Though from the building supply point and the power station likely to have a different name again, such as linesman.