Skilled Migration

Background

Skill shortages in key areas are greatly affecting the rail industry's ability to perform. Despite the current global financial crisis, certain engineering, technical and trade skill shortages remain critical for rail and the Australian economy in general.

Objective

Key objectives of this project are to bring together key stakeholders to share and exchange ideas and information about strategies for critical skills migration. This will enable industry-specific skill shortages and future skill development within the rail industry to be addressed. The project will collect and collate information about skilled migration policy and practice to compile a comprehensive Skilled Migration Information Kit for the rail industry. The research will also explore possibilities for future action and collaboration between key stakeholders for the future skills development of the rail industry.

Outcomes

The project will bring together representatives from industry, government, professional organisations and national key stakeholders through the Critical Skills Migration Forum and proposed Critical Skills Creativity Hub. The forum will also be used to gauge interest in the establishment of an ongoing Critical Skills Creativity Hub that would investigate potential international educational partnerships and innovative projects targeted at the rail industry’s critical skill shortages. The second tangible research deliverable from the project will be a comprehensive Skilled Migration Information Kit for rail.

Benefits

The project will bring together key stakeholders in the area of skilled migration and align key government policies in areas focusing on national skill shortages and increasing workforce participation. Moreover, the Critical Skills Migration Forum will provide an opportunity for key stakeholders to come together to exchange information and ideas around issues pertaining to identified skill shortages in the rail industry.