FIFO Tickets and Training in Australia: What Do You Need?

You do not need to collect every FIFO ticket before applying for work. Start with the role you want, read its current requirements, then choose the training or licence that closes a real gap.

A White Card, working at heights, first aid, confined space training, a forklift licence and a driver's licence serve different purposes. Some relate to regulated work, some demonstrate assessed skills, and others are conditions set by an employer or site. None guarantees a FIFO job.

This guide explains the six areas and what to check before spending money. Requirements vary by duties, employer, site, industry and state or territory. It is general career information; use the relevant regulator, training provider and employer to confirm your situation.

Training records and regulator guidance checked on 10 October 2026.

Which FIFO tickets should you get first?

Choose the type of role you want before choosing a course. A camp-services applicant, a shutdown tradesperson and a stores worker can have very different training needs.

Use this comparison as a starting point, then confirm the requirements in actual job advertisements.

Make a shortlist of suitable current jobs on FIFO Careers. Separate each advertisement's requirements into essential before applying, desirable, and to be completed during onboarding. If the wording is unclear, ask the recruiter which category it belongs in.

Prioritise an essential requirement that appears across the roles you genuinely want. Leave unrelated courses until you have a reason to take them. If you are still choosing a pathway, the guide to getting a FIFO job with no experience can help you narrow the role first.

White Card: construction induction

A White Card is evidence of general construction induction training. The relevant national unit is CPCWHS1001 — Prepare to work safely in the construction industry.

The key question is whether your duties or access arrangements involve construction. Being a FIFO worker, working remotely or entering a mine does not by itself establish that every role needs a White Card. Employers may also specify it for particular positions.

WorkSafe WA's construction induction guidance ties the requirement to construction work and explains that general induction does not replace site or task training. A card is not permission to operate machinery or perform a licensed trade.

Before enrolling, confirm the provider's approval, the delivery rules for the issuing jurisdiction, the assessment and card process, and what evidence the employer will accept while the card is being issued. Do not assume a short online awareness certificate is a White Card.

If you already hold one, check its status before paying to repeat training. In WA, WorkSafe says a card becomes invalid after leaving the construction industry for two consecutive years or longer. Confirm the rules that apply to your card and work location.

Working at heights: task training

Working-at-heights training is relevant when your duties involve work at height or the employer specifies it. It is not a universal entry requirement for every FIFO role.

The national register lists RIIWHS204 — Work safely at heights as current, released on 2 September 2026. It replaces the equivalent RIIWHS204E, which is now marked superseded. Older codes can still appear in advertisements or on existing statements of attainment.

Before buying a new course or refresher, ask which unit the employer accepts, how recent the assessment must be and whether a further site assessment is required. If your document shows the older code, send the code and completion date for confirmation rather than assuming you must start again.

This training is different from a forklift high risk work licence. It also does not replace the controls and supervision required for the task. Safe Work Australia explains that work at height needs a safe system of work and appropriate fall-risk controls. Do not treat a course certificate as authorisation to choose or use a height-safety system independently.

First aid and CPR

HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid is a current nationally recognised first aid unit. Check the exact unit requested: a role may call for additional first aid skills, particularly in a remote setting.

Workplaces need appropriate first aid arrangements, but that does not mean every FIFO applicant must personally hold the same certificate. Safe Work Australia's guidance describes access to trained first aiders and a risk-based approach, including possible extra training for remote or isolated work.

For workplace first aiders, its model first aid code recommends annual CPR refresher training and renewing first aid qualifications every three years. Those are guidance intervals; confirm applicable workplace and jurisdiction requirements, including any shorter employer interval.

Check your CPR completion date separately from the date of your broader first aid course. Ask whether the role needs first aid before application, before mobilisation or through employer-arranged training. Include the actual unit and dates in your records so a recruiter can assess currency.

Confined space training

Confined-space training relates to particular duties and hazards. An enclosed room or underground workplace is not automatically a confined space under the regulatory definition.

The current resources and infrastructure unit is RIIWHS202 — Enter and work in confined spaces, released on 2 September 2026. It replaces the equivalent RIIWHS202E, now marked superseded. Check employer acceptance of your actual unit and completion date.

Ask what the job involves: entry, standby duties, atmospheric testing, issuing permits or rescue work. Do not assume a course advertised as a “confined space package” covers every responsibility the employer requires.

Safe Work Australia's confined spaces code covers training, risk assessment, entry permits and emergency arrangements. A training document does not replace the site's authorised entry process or establish that an area is safe to enter.

For shutdown work, compare the requirements in jobs linked to shutdown skills. Confirm the units included in any combined heights/confined-space course and whether extra gas-testing or rescue training is needed for the position you are considering.

Forklift: LF or LO high risk work licence

A forklift course and a forklift licence are separate steps. The current TLILIC0003 — Licence to operate a forklift truck unit explicitly says competence in the unit does not itself result in a high risk work licence.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland distinguishes two classes:

• LF: forklift trucks, excluding order-picking forklift trucks.

• LO: order-picking forklift trucks, where the operator's controls rise with the load carriage.

Check the class required for the equipment and duties. An LF licence does not cover LO work.

Before paying, ask the RTO about practical training, assessment, eligibility, licence application fees and processing. Follow your issuing regulator's application process. For example, Queensland requires a licence application within 60 days of successfully completing the practical assessment. Confirm the temporary evidence rules before doing licensed work.

A high risk work licence is not a lifetime credential. Queensland's renewal guidance specifies renewal every five years. Check your own licence expiry and issuer's requirements, as well as any employer request for recent operating experience or competency assessment.

Driver licences: class and conditions matter

Read the exact wording in the advertisement. “Current driver's licence”, “manual C class”, “unrestricted HR” and “MC with experience” are different requirements. Ask about both the vehicle class and any transmission or other licence conditions.

For example, Transport WA's car-licence guidance distinguishes a manual C licence, which permits manual and automatic cars, from a C-A licence, which permits automatic cars only. Other jurisdictions have their own rules and condition descriptions.

If your target role specifies manual driving and you hold an automatic-only licence, ask the recruiter whether that is essential before applying. Then check the licensing authority's upgrade process before booking lessons or assessment.

Heavy-vehicle work needs the relevant class. Transport WA's vehicle-class guide distinguishes MR, HR, HC and MC and sets out upgrade eligibility. Check the rules where you are licensed; do not choose an HR course simply because a training package markets it as useful for FIFO.

Compare jobs linked to a driver's licence requirement, then read each listing for the actual class, conditions and experience. A road licence alone does not tell you whether you meet a site's vehicle training or authorisation requirements.

How to check a course before paying

Use the National Training Register to check the RTO and its scope for the exact unit being offered. Registration alone does not establish approval to deliver every course. Also confirm any regulator approval needed for the card or licence.

Ask these questions before committing:

1. What will I receive? Get the exact unit codes and names, and confirm whether the outcome is a statement of attainment, an awareness certificate or a licence application pathway.

2. Does my target employer accept it? Check the unit, training date and delivery method with the recruiter when the advertisement is unclear.

3. What assessment is included? Ask about practical tasks, attendance and assessment arrangements rather than assuming online theory is the whole course.

4. What does the price include? Request a written total covering training, assessment, any reassessment, card or licence fees, and travel or equipment costs.

5. What happens after training? Confirm application deadlines, card processing, refresher expectations and any further site assessment.

The September 2026 heights and confined-space changes make the exact code worth checking. Ask the RTO how its course fits the current register and any permitted transition arrangements. Ask the employer how it treats your existing evidence. A code change is a reason to verify acceptance, not a reason to buy a replacement course without checking.

You can send a short question such as:

I'm considering applying for [role]. I hold [unit or licence class], completed/issued on [date]. Is this accepted for the position? Do you require a refresher, another unit or site assessment, and must it be completed before applying or during onboarding?

Treat any example as a prompt to fill in honestly, not as a statement that you hold a qualification.

Keep your training evidence ready

Keep readable copies of your statements of attainment, cards and licences in one secure folder. Record the unit code or licence class, provider or issuer, completion date, expiry where applicable, and any confirmed employer refresher requirement.

On your resume, distinguish a qualification you hold from training you have only booked. List relevant codes and dates clearly; describe operating experience separately from the licence. Use the FIFO resume guide if you need help presenting that evidence.

Site inductions and other onboarding checks remain separate. Confirm who arranges them and when; do not assume a commercial ticket bundle completes the employer's onboarding process.

Your next step is to shortlist suitable roles, compare their essential requirements and identify the one gap worth closing next. Useful training supports a specific application plan but is not a replacement for relevant experience, a suitable qualification or the employer's selection process.