ADF looks overseas to fill the gaps

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Created on Tuesday, 03 January 2012 13:30

Written by Editorial staff

International defence personnel made redundant by their home forces may be able to find new opportunities in Australia - with a number of programs focusing on recruiting skilled individuals form external sources.

In particular the UK Ministry of Defence has expressed its need to cut approximately 5,000 jobs in response to new budgetary constraints.

The actions have prompted the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to send a party to the UK to promote the opportunities available to the personnel affected.

As part of the new drive to improve recruitment of specialist staff members, the ADF will be working with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to deliver each new recruit with a permanent residency visa.

In addition, the DIAC will be fast-tracking the citizenship application of any international personnel - processing their request after only three months as opposed to the standard two-year wait.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is particularly keen to deliver improvements in its staffing levels, with a spokesman for the ADF telling the Telegraph on December 27 that their British counterparts were "very comfortable" with their approach to recruitment.

"The RAN is presenting itself to personnel identified for redundancy as one of their career transition options, provided those personnel meet its requirements," asserted the spokesman.

"The plan is that the British Navy would be contacting people being made redundant and telling them that there is an option for them to extend their career and giving them our contact details."

According to the BBC, the British Ministry of Defence is planning on making further cuts to other branches of the military before 2015 - with 12,000 army and 5,000 air force personnel potentially losing their posts.

Staff from other military organisation in Commonwealth countries - such as Canada and New Zealand - may also be eligible for the program.

The move to improve the pool of experienced personnel in the army, navy and air force comes as the branches of the ADF compete with the local industries for skilled professionals - especially those with engineering training.

With the boom in mining, resources and other export markets, Australia is currently experiencing a shortage in the availability of skilled staff members across a range of disciplines.

In addition, the ADF is expecting the delivery of a range of new equipment - such as a fleet of new air-destroyers and submarines - and needs to be able to ensure that they have the personnel on hand to make best use of them.