Technical Writers research and write technical information-based material and documentation for articles, manuals, textbooks, handbooks, or multimedia products, usually for education or corporate purposes.

Skill Level

1

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Technical Writer is Vocational Education and Training Assess (VETASSESS). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

• Qualification assessed at AQF Bachelor degree or higher in a highly relevant field of study AND at least one year of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the last five years

OR

• Qualification assessed at AQF Bachelor degree or higher WITH an additional qualification at AQF Diploma level in a highly relevant field of study AND at least two years of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the last five years

OR

• Qualification assessed at AQF Bachelor degree or higher WITHOUT a highly relevant field of study AND at least three years of post-qualification highly relevant employment at an appropriate skill level in the last five years
• To achieve a positive skills assessment, the applicant must meet the qualification and employment experience requirements.

Important

According to VETASSESS, your pre-qualification experience may be considered in the skills assessment if it meets the following requirements:

• 5 years of relevant pre-qualification employment; and
• 1 year of highly relevant employment within the past five years

Research and compile news stories, write and edit news reports, commentaries and feature stories for presentation in print and electronic media, and compose written material to advertise goods and services.

Tasks

• Determining advertising approach by consulting clients and management, and studying products to establish principal selling features
• Writing advertisements for press, radio, television, cinema screens, billboards, catalogues and shop displays
• Making decisions about the specific content of publications in conjunction with other senior editors and in accordance with editorial policies and guidelines
• Reviewing copy for publication to ensure conformity with accepted rules of grammar, style and format, coherence of story, and accuracy, legality and probity of content
• Collecting and analysing facts about newsworthy events from interviews, printed matter, investigations and observations
• Writing news reports, commentaries, articles and feature stories for newspapers, magazines, journals, television and radio on topics of public interest
• Researching and writing technical, information-based material and documentation for manuals, text books, handbooks and multimedia products
• Critically discussing daily news topics in the editorial columns of newspapers and reviewing books, films and plays

Skill Level

Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher qualification. At least five years of relevant experience may substitute for the formal qualification. In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Occupations in this Group

• 212411 Copywriter
• 212412 Newspaper or Periodical Editor
• 212413 Print Journalist
• 212414 Radio Journalist
• 212415 Technical Writer
• 212416 Television Journalist
• 212499 Journalists and Other Writers nec