The government has appointed a consortium to assess skills of would-be migrants in India an other countries like Britain, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, media reports said on Tuesday.

The consortium of TAFE colleges of Victorian and West Australian state will concentrate on workers in occupations where there are shortages of labour in Australia, including electricians, plumbers, motor mechanics, carpenters and bricklayers, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The intention is to ease skills shortages by reducing the time it takes to approve immigration applications and ensure migrants arrive in Australia having met requirements for recognising their qualifications and gaining occupational licences.

"The offshore assessment centres would give more certainty for migrants and for local employers seeking to hire skilled workers," the Minister for Employment, Joe Hockey, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Currently, people applying to come to Australia as skilled migrants have to send their papers, including details of their training and qualifications, to Australia for assessment. But under the new system, these assessments will be carried out in their home country.

From the second half of this year, all prospective migrants with trade skills will be tested to Australian standards before coming to the country.