Skills assessment for job opportunities in regional Australia

DAMAs enable employers in regional areas to hire skilled and semi-skilled workers in both trades and professions for roles that cannot be filled by local staff. 

An applicant for a DAMA skills assessment must have a form of employer offer or sponsorship, while an employer will gain endorsement from their Designated Area Representatives (DAR) before lodging a labour agreement request with the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs. 

Once an applicant has an employer offer or sponsorship, they can apply for a VETASSESS skills assessment. 

VETASSESS Executive Director Dr Mamta Chauhan said the number of DAMA occupations assessed by VETASSESS has more than trebled since it began DAMA skills assessments for regional Australia in 2019. 

“Regional Australia offers many opportunities for migrants,” she said. 

“DAMA sponsorship helps employers hire the staff they need, and migrants arrive to a waiting job.”  

VETASSESS provides skills assessments for the following DAMAs: 

• New South Wales – Orana Regional Development Area, covering 60 per cent of NSW 
• Northern Territory 
• Queensland – Far North Queensland, Townsville 
• South Australia – Adelaide City, regional South Australia 
• Victoria – Great South Coast, Goulburn Valley 
• Western Australia – Kimberley, Goldfields, Pilbara, South West WA. 

The occupations assessed under each DAMA are different because each agreement addresses the specific needs of employers in that region. 

Find out more about DAMA occupations assessed by VETASSESS here 

Read more information on the Department of Home Affairs website here. 

Media inquiries to our communications team at: communications@vetassess.com.au, or ph. 61 3 9655 4801