This guide explains how an Electrical Engineer (ANZSCO 233311) prepares a Competency Demonstration Report (CDR) for the Engineers Australia Migration Skills Assessment. It covers the requirements, which technical areas to write about, how to structure each Career Episode (with a sample outline), and how to map your paragraphs in the Summary Statement.
Plagiarism warning: Engineers Australia checks every CDR with automated plagiarism detection. Use samples only to understand structure. Every project description, calculation and sentence you submit must describe your own engineering work.
1. Occupation details
| Nominated occupation | Electrical Engineer |
| ANZSCO code | 233311 |
| Assessing authority | Engineers Australia |
| Typical occupational category | Professional Engineer (decided in each individual assessment) |
| Pathway | Applicants without an accredited or Accord-recognised degree submit a CDR: three Career Episodes, a Summary Statement and a CPD list. |
Always check the current Migration Skills Assessment (MSA) booklet on the Engineers Australia website before you submit.
2. Technical areas that make strong electrical Career Episodes
- Generation and transmission: substation design, transmission line parameters, grid connection studies, transformer selection.
- Power system analysis: load flow, short-circuit, motor starting and transient stability studies in ETAP, DIgSILENT or PSS/E.
- Protection coordination: protection scheme design, relay selection, setting calculations and coordination curves.
- Industrial distribution: LV and MV switchboard design, cable sizing, voltage drop checks, power factor correction.
- Earthing and safety: earthing grid design, soil resistivity analysis, touch and step potential checks.
- Renewables: solar PV and wind grid compliance, inverter sizing, battery energy storage design.
Name the standards you actually used, such as AS/NZS, IEC or IEEE, and explain how you applied them.
3. How to structure each Career Episode
| Section | Typical length | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 Introduction | about 100 words | Dates, location, employer and your role. |
| 1.2 Background | 200 to 500 words | Project scope, objectives, and an organisation chart showing your position. |
| 1.3 Personal Engineering Activity | 600 to 1,500 words | What you personally did: design calculations, single-line diagrams, protection settings, software models, problems and how you resolved them. |
| 1.4 Summary | 50 to 150 words | Project outcome and how your work met the objectives. |
Sample outline: an electrical Career Episode
This shows the shape of a good episode. It is not text to copy.
- CE 1.1: “From June 2021 to May 2022 I worked as an Electrical Design Engineer at [company], [city], on a 33/11 kV substation extension.”
- CE 1.2: why the extension was needed, the design scope, the team structure and your position in it.
- CE 1.3: “I ran load flow and fault studies in ETAP…”, “I sized the 11 kV cables for…”, “I calculated relay settings and checked coordination with…”, “When the earthing study showed high touch potential, I…”.
- CE 1.4: what was commissioned, measured results, and what you learned.
Each of your three episodes should cover a different project or period of work. Write “I”, not “we”, so the assessor can see your direct contribution.
4. Paragraph numbering and the Summary Statement
Number every paragraph in sequence (CE 1.1, CE 1.2 and so on through CE 3.x). In the Summary Statement, point each Stage 1 Competency element, such as PE1.1, PE2.2 or PE3.2, to the exact paragraphs that prove it. Our Summary Statement guide explains the table.
5. Using ANZSCO duties correctly
The ANZSCO description lists typical duties for the occupation. It is not evidence of your competency. Use it to confirm your projects fit Electrical Engineer, then describe your own work.
6. How we help
CDRFOREA offers professional review, structure and formatting support based strictly on your genuine engineering experience. We do not fabricate calculations or projects, in line with Engineers Australia’s ethics requirements. Contact us for a free quote.
7. Related occupations
- Power and telecommunications transmission: see our Telecommunications Engineer guide.
- Testing, instrumentation and measurement roles: see our Electrical Engineering Technician guide.
- Electronics and embedded design: see our Electronics Engineer guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a final-year project as one Career Episode?
Yes, if it shows enough of your own engineering work. Many applicants combine one academic project with two workplace projects.
Which fees apply to the assessment?
See our Engineers Australia fees guide for the current CDR, fast track and review fees.