Trade Assistant Course: What TAs Study and How to Land FIFO Work

There is no single TA ticket

Randstad’s trade assistant profile describes an entry-level role where no formal qualifications are required. It says many people start with a short construction course from a Registered Training Organisation to get a white card, and that some employers also prefer forklift, truck or high risk work licences. SEEK’s page lists a similar set of common tickets: the white card, forklift licence, first aid certificate, truck licence, high risk work licence and a driver’s licence. So a “trade assistant course” in practice means a bundle of short units, chosen by what the ad asks for.

Units TAs commonly do

These are the safety units most often linked to TA jobs. Each is a national unit on training.gov.au. The unit pages say licensing and certification requirements can vary by state, territory and industry, so check with the relevant body.

• CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry. The white card unit. Its application says it specifies the mandatory work health and safety training required before undertaking construction work. See our white card page.
• RIIWHS204E Work safely at heights. Describes the skills and knowledge to work safely at heights in the resources and infrastructure industries, for people in operational roles who generally work under supervision. See working at heights.
• RIIWHS202E Enter and work in confined spaces. The same level of role. Its elements include obtaining and confirming authorisation of a confined space entry permit. See confined space.
• HLTAID011 Provide First Aid. Covers responding to an emergency and providing first aid, including CPR. See first aid.

If an ad asks for a forklift, truck or high risk work licence, see our high risk work licence guide and the forklift page. WorkSafe WA says its construction induction card stays valid while you remain in the industry, becomes invalid after two consecutive years out, and that cards from other states are recognised.

What TAs do on mine sites and shutdowns

SEEK describes the role as supporting tradespeople, contractors and operators with general labouring, including using hand and power tools, and cleaning and preparing worksites, with limited supervision. Randstad adds that tasks are assigned by a supervisor, so the work varies, and that in mining the role includes working during scheduled downtime, where TAs conduct maintenance and restorations during mine shutdowns and repair and maintain equipment. A shutdown is scheduled downtime, so the work is planned around it.

Getting FIFO trade assistant work

Programmed’s WA recruitment page lists Trade Assistants among Mechanical Fitters, Boilermakers and Riggers, with both fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out opportunities, and says applicants with previous shutdown, heavy industrial or refinery experience are highly regarded. It does not list required tickets. That tells you two things. Shutdown work is a real source of TA jobs, and past experience helps, so any industrial, factory, workshop or cleaning work you have done is worth putting on your resume. Our FIFO trade assistant page and recruitment agencies guide go further, and mining jobs with no experience covers the wider approach.

Pay: what is published

SEEK’s trades assistant salary page (October 2026) reports an average of $82,305 for Mining, Resources and Energy, the highest industry listed, from 1,101 openings. SEEK says it uses salary ranges employers disclosed in ads, and some figures include super. Our trade assistant salary page sets this alongside the Award floor.

A sensible order of steps

Do not buy a pile of tickets before you have looked at ads. Use the cert planner to line up what you have and what is missing, and work down this list.

What we could not source

We did not find a published source we could cite for course fees, course durations, a standard employer ticket list for trade assistants, or typical rosters, so we have left them out. Providers set their own prices and dates, so compare them directly. For more options see mining courses and mining apprenticeships if you want a trade qualification later, and the tickets directory.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Last updated 13 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.

• Randstad: Trade assistant job profile (read 13 October 2026)
• SEEK: Trades assistant career advice (read 13 October 2026)
• SEEK: Trades assistant salary (read 13 October 2026)
• Programmed: WA recruitment (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: RIIWHS204E Work safely at heights (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: RIIWHS202E Enter and work in confined spaces (read 13 October 2026)
• training.gov.au: HLTAID011 Provide First Aid (read 13 October 2026)
• WorkSafe WA: Construction induction training (read 13 October 2026)

All statements come from the pages above, read on 13 October 2026, and may change. We could not find a published source for course fees, durations or a standard employer ticket list for trade assistants, so this guide does not state them. Unit pages describe what a unit covers, not what any employer requires. MiningReady is independent and is not affiliated with any training provider or employer.