Skills Australia Needs sessions scheduled for London

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Created on Tuesday, 15 November 2011 11:02

Written by Editorial staff

London is set to play host to a series of sessions entitled Skills Australia Needs in the new year, in a bid to attract skilled workers to Australia to address shortages in the local labour market.

The events, which are hosted by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), will take place in London on February 25 and 26.

Pre-screened skilled workers will be invited to discuss sponsorship and employment opportunities across a number of areas of occupational demand, which one DIAC spokesperson identified as the engineering and healthcare industries, as well as selected trade occupations.

Deloitte's Where is Your Next Worker? research, published earlier this month as the inaugural report in its Building the Lucky Country series, suggested that companies that adopt progressive, forward-thinking migration strategies will be in the best position to weather the forecasted skills shortage, which is expected to increase sharply in the coming years.

"Interested skilled workers can apply to attend the events, however, only those with recognised qualifications and experience in one of the occupations targeted will be selected," the DIAC spokesperson stated.

"The department has staged these events for a number of years in various countries to provide information to workers abut skilled visa options for Australia, with a focus on matching skilled workers with Australian state and territory governments and employers in targeted occupational areas."

Capacity limitations for the event mean that any Australian organisation looking to participate will need to lodge an expression of interest.

After companies are approved at the pre-screening stage, they will then be selected to attend the event on a first-come, first-served basis.

Events such as Skills Australia Needs, as well as the Down Under Expo and other international skilled migration conferences, can represent excellent opportunities for Migration Alliance members.

Accredited migration agents who have completed the Graduate Certificate in Australian Migration Law and Practice may find there are number of benefits to joining the Migration Alliance, which works closely with the DIAC to strengthen the migration agent profession and maximise positive industry outcomes.

In addition to providing valuable networking opportunities - at professional events and online via the Migration Alliance forums - MA members also benefit from competitive professional indemnity insurance and public liability insurance cover.

Our members also lobby on behalf of the profession, advocating the need for secure recordkeeping of both sponsor and client information.