How Can A Professional Year Program Help You Advance Your Career in Australia?

Thousands of international students migrate to Australia to grow their careers by studying at an Australian educational institution. However, in the last few years, overseas graduates are finding it hard to get a decent job in the Australian sector because of various reasons. Here is where doing a Professional Year Program can be helpful. This program lasts less than a year and can be enrolled in after completing graduation. But you must keep in mind that currently, students from only three disciplines can attend this program.

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The PYP helps students improve their skills and increase their knowledge of Engineering, Accounting, or Computer Science. It helps them find employment that suits their skills and expertise the best. Thus, in a word, a Professional Year Course helps aspirants become highly accomplished in their skills before they step into the professional world. So, it will be a brilliant decision to get nurtured before entering a reputed organization in top Australian cities.

In addition to preparing the Engineering, IT, and Accounting graduates for their next endeavors, a Professional Year Course also has other benefits. Completing such a program helps students achieve 5 additional points when starting their application procedure for an Australian permanent residence visa.

Usually, the overall duration for a PY program is 44 weeks, where 12 weeks are given to complete an internship. This internship program greatly benefits the students in their professional lives as they come across the workplace culture in Australia and learn how to communicate with others.

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What are the Different Programs Available in the Professional Year Program?

We have already mentioned that Professional Year Programs are available in only three disciplines – Engineering, Accounting, and Information Technology. For the three different programs, the course duration is the same. 

Professional Year Program in Engineering

The Professional Year Engineering Program was conceptualised and developed by Engineering Education Australia (EEA). Suppose you have graduated in Engineering from an Australian institute. In that case, you can consider attending this 44-week course program that will help you increase your knowledge about the Australian workplace demands, sharpen essential employability skills, thereby becoming fully prepared to work in the Australian job sector.

This comprehensive program includes both theoretical training and an internship program, making aspirants job-ready. Also, successful completion of the course will make you eligible to earn 5 additional points on the Australian Department of Home Affairs points test.

To join this program, make sure you meet the following eligibility criteria.

• You should have been awarded an undergraduate or postgraduate degree by an Australian institute.
• You should hold or at least have applied for the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485. This visa allows an international student to stay for 18 months to 4 years in Australia after their studies. The stay period varies according to the Graduate Visa stream a candidate applies for and the academic qualification.
• Candidates must prove their proficiency in English. They must obtain an overall band score of 6 in IELTS Academic with a minimum band score of 5 in each band. If you want to take PTE Academic, the minimum required overall score is 50, while the minimum score for each band is 36.

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Professional Year Program in Accounting

The Professional Year Accounting Program has been developed by three organizations – the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA), CPA Australia, and the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). This program was previously known as SMIPA (Skilled Migration Internship Program: Accounting) and is for overseas students who have graduated with an Accounting degree from an Australian institute. Accounting graduates can improve their capabilities to shine in their careers.

This PYP also helps candidates earn 5 additional points when they apply for a points-based Australian work visa.

The eligibility criteria for PYP Accounting are as follows.

• Candidates should have been awarded a recognised degree in Accounting that provides at least 2 years of credit points. Also, the course should have finished within a minimum duration of 18 months.
• Keep in mind that your Australian student visa will remain valid until completing the course for which you have submitted the Confirmation of Enrolment. But to stay further for higher studies, you will need to apply for the Temporary Graduate Visa 485. So, for PYP Accounting also, you have to apply for this visa.
• Proficiency in the English language is necessary. Candidates should have scored at least 6 overall band scores in the IELTS. If you want to take the PTE Academic, at least a 50 overall score will be required.
• You will also need to take a skills assessment conducted by a professional accounting association and provide the result while applying.

Professional Year Program in IT

The Professional Year Information Technology Program was developed by the ACS (Australian Computer Society) and aimed to provide advanced training to overseas graduates in Information and Communications Technology. In addition to basic and practical training, regular counseling is also offered throughout the program, thus helping candidates gain practical and extensive knowledge.

This program was initiated by the Immigration Department and aimed to solve the skill shortage issue in Australia. In this 44-week program, students are provided communication skills and theoretical knowledge training in the first 32 weeks. In the remaining 12-week period, students get the opportunity to apply those skills in a real-life workplace environment. Like the two other programs, this program also helps students earn 5 additional points, increasing their chances of obtaining permanent residency in Australia.

To become eligible for this program, make sure you meet the following eligibility criteria.

• You should have finished a recognised degree in Information Technology from an Australian institute that provides a minimum of 2 years of credit points.
• At the time of application, you should hold or have at least applied for the Graduate Visa 485.
• At least an overall band score of 6 is required in the IELTS. If you give PTE Academic, the minimum overall requirement is a 50 band score.

What are the Basic Requirements to apply for a Professional Year Program?

Before you apply to a Professional Year Program in Australia, keep in mind these basic requirements.

• First of all, to be eligible for a PY Program, you should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Accounting, or Information Technology.
• You will need to apply for the Post Study Work Stream under the Temporary Graduate Visa Subclass 485, and for that, you will need to obtain an overall 6 band score in IELTS.
• This 6 overall band score is also required to register in a PYP. For the Australian Professional Year Program in Accounting, the score for each band should also be 6.

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How can Education Agent Perth help you in a Professional Year Program?

You may have understood by now that a PY Program provides numerous benefits to international candidates. Apart from helping students gain industry-specific employability skills and important points towards Australian permanent residence applications, it also adds high value to the CV.

That is why we always recommend consulting Education Agent Perth for making a complete application. They can assign you a qualified education consultant who will be the best person to provide professional guidance. 

In addition to that, if you want specific information on immigration in Perth, ISA Migrations will be glad to help you.