A program that assists local businesses to secure staff with specialist skill sets is adding an extra dimension to this region’s economy.
Countless businesses in the Mildura area have tapped into Global Skills for Provincial Victoria, which provides support to employers who take on overseas trained professionals for hard to fill roles, and in turn ensures the area maintains a skilled workforce.
The State Government funded program started in Mildura in June 2008 and since then more than 50 skilled migrants have relocated to fill specialist roles in the region.
In 2009 alone the program generated more than $15.8 million extra for the regional economy, which Council’s Skilled Migration coordinator Catherine Kelly says is one of the hidden benefits of the Global Skills for Provincial Victoria program.
“We have a good retention rate for skilled migrants here due to the support that’s available for them and their spouses and families,” Catherine Kelly said
“There are lots of social networking opportunities, employment assistance and cultural events and celebrations that enable them to get involved and feel part of the community.”
Podiatrist Tracy Kemp relocated to Mildura from her native England to work at Sunraysia Community Health Services.
Like many other migrants who have taken up work here, Tracy was supported throughout the process by the Skilled Migration coordinator, who also works closely with employers seeking to recruit and hire skilled professionals from overseas.
As well as helping navigate the sometimes tricky bureaucratic and visa requirements, the Skilled Migration coordinator is able to link employers and employees up with other local service providers and community networks to help new migrants settle in.
With this assistance and support many qualified professionals have moved from all over the world providing much needed professional skills in roles that could not be filled by locals.
From mechanics, IT specialists and engineers, to allied health professionals, teachers, town planners and accountants, the local workforce has been boosted thanks to trained professionals willing to relocate from overseas.
And they don’t just bring their professional talents with them. Many skilled migrants have settled in our region with their partners and children and are active participants in community life.
“We are a very multicultural municipality and the migrants who have moved here have helped enhance that further,” Catherine Kelly said.
“People from as far and wide as India, Ireland, Ghana, Thailand, China, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, South Africa, Mauritius and Turkey now call our region home.”
