Robert K Chelliah
27th September 2009, 03:59 PM
The skills shortage in Australia may not be met by the sc 457 arrangements. Where tradespersons are required for the gas and oil industries, the shipbuilding sector, the construction industry requires thousands of trades persons and they are not available from the traditional source countries, UK, USA, NZ and Canada. These countriess too need their tradespersons and there is no greater incentive to move from these countries.
Trades persons from Afro-Asian countries would NOT qualify for sc 457 visas as trades persons from these regions will not meet the minimum 5 band in English. Most experienced trades persons from these countries are not educated to suficient level in the English medium to enable them to pass band 5 level of the IELTS.
This in turn will increase the demand for scarce Australian workers and the Unions will have the leverage and baraging power to demand higher and higher wages for the scarce skills. The cost to employers and the economy will skyrocket.
Solution:
Lower the bar and allow workers without English level to enter Australia under 457 and get employers to sponsor on the job English langauge training.
Who is prepared to write to the Minisiter on this? Can one of us get the media to expose this dilemma?
Robert K Chelliah
Email: rkc@austmigration.com.sg
Trades persons from Afro-Asian countries would NOT qualify for sc 457 visas as trades persons from these regions will not meet the minimum 5 band in English. Most experienced trades persons from these countries are not educated to suficient level in the English medium to enable them to pass band 5 level of the IELTS.
This in turn will increase the demand for scarce Australian workers and the Unions will have the leverage and baraging power to demand higher and higher wages for the scarce skills. The cost to employers and the economy will skyrocket.
Solution:
Lower the bar and allow workers without English level to enter Australia under 457 and get employers to sponsor on the job English langauge training.
Who is prepared to write to the Minisiter on this? Can one of us get the media to expose this dilemma?
Robert K Chelliah
Email: rkc@austmigration.com.sg