minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2007
Mar 28th 2007, 11:44 am
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minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2007
Interview with Tony Eastley
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Interview: Tony Eastley
Subjects: Report on skilled migration
E&OE…
TONY EASTLEY:
Changes to Australia’s skilled migration programme could soon be on the way because of people cutting corners in order to get permanent residency. The scheme aims to recruit migrants with scarce trade skills as a way of bolstering the nation’s labour market. But according to a new study by Monash University’s Centre for Population and Urban Research, thousands of people are taking up cooking and hairdressing courses to exploit a loophole. Alison Caldwell reports.
REPORTER:
International enrolments for cookery and hairdressing courses at private colleges in Australia nearly tripled between 2004 and 2006. According to the People and Places study though, few graduates end up actually working in those trades. Monash University Centre for Population and Urban Research has identified a visa loophole which it claims is being exploited as a shortcut to permanent residency. Demographer Dr Bob Birrell co-authored the study.
DR BOB BIRRELL:
The Government, with the best of intentions, wants to increase the recruitment of skilled persons, particularly in the trades but by opening up avenues for training in Australia where classroom-based teaching can provide so-called trade level credentials. The whole system is, as I said, it’s been hijacked by the migration industry and it’s very little value for the point of view of satisfying skilled needs in Australia.
REPORTER:
Hairdressing and cookery are on the list of in-demand migrant occupations and both attract extra points in permanent residency visa applications. The study says private registered training organisations account for more than 80 per cent of the market. Concerned teachers reported instances of students who’d never attended classes being presented with commercial cookery certificates. In some cases students were charged over $10 000 a year for the course.
Describing this as a crisis, Dr Bob Birrell says state and federal government agencies are failing to effectively monitor the problem.
DR BOB BIRRELL:
Regulatory structure is weak and in particular there’s no independent assessment of the competency of these students who complete these cooking or hairdressing courses.
REPORTER:
Federal Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews commissioned the study. He said changes to the skilled migration scheme will be announced soon, including requiring previous trade experience and better English.
MINISTER ANDREWS:
One of the things which we’re looking at is the level of English comprehension and understanding, and adequacy of students. Dr Birrell made some suggestions in relation to this, which I’m current looking at. The other suggestion he made was that in order to qualify for a visa then a person doing such courses would need to have at least 12 months’ job experience at a professional or trade level in their occupation, and that’s something which I’m working through at the moment as well.
REPORTER:
Is it worth maybe dropping cookery and hairdressing from the visa points scheme that exists?
MINISTER ANDREWS:
Wherever I go around Australia, I’m told by people in the hospitality, the restaurant and catering industry that they simply can’t find the number of cooks that they need. So if we drop that then we’re doing ourselves a disservice. This is a matter of ensuring that we don’t throw any baby out with the bath water to ensure that if there are some refinements that need to be made, we make them, but at the same time ensuring that we do have the skilled people in Australia that we need.
[Ends]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See:
Index of Media Releases
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/medi...ipt_070328.htm
Last update: 28 March 2007 at 14:17 AEST
Home Copyright & Disclaimer Privacy Department of Immigration and Citizenship
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Interview: Tony Eastley
Subjects: Report on skilled migration
E&OE…
TONY EASTLEY:
Changes to Australia’s skilled migration programme could soon be on the way because of people cutting corners in order to get permanent residency. The scheme aims to recruit migrants with scarce trade skills as a way of bolstering the nation’s labour market. But according to a new study by Monash University’s Centre for Population and Urban Research, thousands of people are taking up cooking and hairdressing courses to exploit a loophole. Alison Caldwell reports.
REPORTER:
International enrolments for cookery and hairdressing courses at private colleges in Australia nearly tripled between 2004 and 2006. According to the People and Places study though, few graduates end up actually working in those trades. Monash University Centre for Population and Urban Research has identified a visa loophole which it claims is being exploited as a shortcut to permanent residency. Demographer Dr Bob Birrell co-authored the study.
DR BOB BIRRELL:
The Government, with the best of intentions, wants to increase the recruitment of skilled persons, particularly in the trades but by opening up avenues for training in Australia where classroom-based teaching can provide so-called trade level credentials. The whole system is, as I said, it’s been hijacked by the migration industry and it’s very little value for the point of view of satisfying skilled needs in Australia.
REPORTER:
Hairdressing and cookery are on the list of in-demand migrant occupations and both attract extra points in permanent residency visa applications. The study says private registered training organisations account for more than 80 per cent of the market. Concerned teachers reported instances of students who’d never attended classes being presented with commercial cookery certificates. In some cases students were charged over $10 000 a year for the course.
Describing this as a crisis, Dr Bob Birrell says state and federal government agencies are failing to effectively monitor the problem.
DR BOB BIRRELL:
Regulatory structure is weak and in particular there’s no independent assessment of the competency of these students who complete these cooking or hairdressing courses.
REPORTER:
Federal Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews commissioned the study. He said changes to the skilled migration scheme will be announced soon, including requiring previous trade experience and better English.
MINISTER ANDREWS:
One of the things which we’re looking at is the level of English comprehension and understanding, and adequacy of students. Dr Birrell made some suggestions in relation to this, which I’m current looking at. The other suggestion he made was that in order to qualify for a visa then a person doing such courses would need to have at least 12 months’ job experience at a professional or trade level in their occupation, and that’s something which I’m working through at the moment as well.
REPORTER:
Is it worth maybe dropping cookery and hairdressing from the visa points scheme that exists?
MINISTER ANDREWS:
Wherever I go around Australia, I’m told by people in the hospitality, the restaurant and catering industry that they simply can’t find the number of cooks that they need. So if we drop that then we’re doing ourselves a disservice. This is a matter of ensuring that we don’t throw any baby out with the bath water to ensure that if there are some refinements that need to be made, we make them, but at the same time ensuring that we do have the skilled people in Australia that we need.
[Ends]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
See:
Index of Media Releases
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/medi...ipt_070328.htm
Last update: 28 March 2007 at 14:17 AEST
Home Copyright & Disclaimer Privacy Department of Immigration and Citizenship
