Overseas Skills Recognition program addresses skills shortages

The ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs, John Hargreaves, stated at the National Conference on Overseas Skills that, with Australia still experiencing significant skills shortages, the conference would address issues of relevance to all overseas qualification units including offshore assessment arrangements, skills shortages, skilled migration and updates from all units.

Conference speakers included representatives from the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition, Trades Recognition Australia and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Hargreaves said: “Work being done by the ACT Overseas Qualification Unit is vital in bringing additional skilled and motivated staff into the local workforce. The unit provides a free service for residents of the ACT and Queanbeyan region.

“The ACT Overseas Qualification Unit is part of the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs and it has been providing overseas qualification assessments to migrants and refugees since 2001. In the last 12 months there has been a 30% increase in applications, which indicates the potential availability of skills in the Canberra community.”

The positive flow-on effect expected from this conference is to add to the effectiveness of the ACT Overseas Qualification Unit in reducing skills shortages in the Canberra region.

Information on the assessment of overseas qualifications is available here.