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Chinese alumni valuable to Australia

Monday, April 08, 2013

A recent survey of over 1,200 Chinese alumni who studied in Australia, and are now living in China has helped to uncover the true value that international students from China add to Australia's tourism industry. A large percentage of those surveyed indicated that they have already returned, or intend to return to Australia to holiday or visit friends. Considering that Chinese students make up 40% of annual international student enrollments in Australia, their value to the tourism industry is immense.

The clean environment, natural beauty and friendly people were cited as some of the main reasons why the surveyed alumni planned to return to Australia.

Victoria University recently published an article detailing their research and findings;

International education and tourism from China have potential for much greater returns for Australia, according to new research.

Academics met with government and industry groups at Victoria University on Friday to discuss the latest research on how to more effectively harness the economic potential of international student alumni for tourism.

Lead author of the research from Victoria University’s Centre for Tourism and Services Research, Dr Joanne Pyke, said Chinese students accounted for more than 40% of the 500,000 international students who enrol annually.

“We’re beginning to appreciate the short term benefits of international education for the tourism industry, but no one has really considered the major long term contribution of international alumni and their influence on two-way travel between China and Australia,” Dr Pyke said.

With much better university alumni data now available, researchers at Victoria University, the Australia China Alumni Association (ACAA) and the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) in Beijing have surveyed more than 1200 alumni living in China about how often they stay in touch with Australia and the tourism they engage in.

Results showed 64% of alumni returned to Australia in the past five years at least once, while 93% intend to travel to Australia at least once in the next five years.

“The power of alumni lies in the fact that they are professional, bi-lingual and have a transnational perspective,” Dr Pyke said.

Edward Smith, co-author and founder of the ACAA, said the research highlighted just how much the economic potential of alumni had been overlooked.

“The alumni surveyed alone had made more than 2,000 trips between Australia and China in the past five years, contributing some AU$3-AU$10m to the economy and a further $2-$3m in airfares,” he said. “If we plan to grow this group over time we have to better understand their needs.”

The research identified several barriers to travel including cost, inconvenience of flights and difficulties in obtaining a visa, especially for family and friends. Alumni also reported a lack of knowledge about what they could do in Australia other than visit the main cities.

To read the article in full, click here.

Do you want to apply for an Australia visa? Contact AMVL Migrations to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents (RMAs). Our RMAs specialise in all visa categories and can offer professional assistance and advice for those wishing to migrate to Australia.

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Remaining in Australia now easier for international students

Thursday, April 04, 2013

On 23 March the Department of Immigration and Citizenship implemented its changes to Australia's subclass 485 visa, relaxing work rules for international students who undertake a minimum amount of university study in Australia, and graduate with an Australian bachelor's degree, masters or doctorate. The new rules allow graduating students to work in Australia, in any occupation, for up to four years.

While extending their stay in Australia will now be easier for international students, SBS News recently reported on some speculation about potential challenges that these students may face;

In an already competitive job market, the incentive is to lure high quality overseas students to study in Australia.

“Technically, it’s now much easier for international students to stay in Australia," said Danny Ong, Multicultural Employment Consultant at Monash University. "But the main concern is that there is now a bigger group of international students competing for work opportunities”.

“This is a question that international students need to ask: it’s whether I can get a job,” Mr Ong said.

Lyndal Partington, careers consultant at the University of NSW, says it is important to learn skills away from the classroom for a holistic education.

“It’s important to help them [international students] develop communication skills, team work skills -- soft skills employers look for in graduates,” she said.

“One of the challenges is that they don’t have local work-experience and it’s hard to get their foot in the door. And another challenge is the difference in workplace culture between Australia and their home country,” said Ms Partington.

To read the full article at SBS News, click here.

Do you want to migrate to Australia? Contact AMVL Migrations to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents (RMAs) about how we can assist you. Our RMAs specialise in all visa categories and can offer professional assistance and advice to those wishing to migrate to Australia both permanently and temporarily.

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Australian motor industry needs 457 workers to fill critical skills shortage

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The Australian motor industry is facing a critical skills shortage of workers, forcing businesses around the country to close due to a lack of skilled staff to keep them running. In particular, the industry is experiencing a shortage of motor mechanics and relies heavily on 457 visas to combat these shortages.

As uncertainty of how changes to Australia's 457 visa will effect the use of the program remain, peak industry bodies have spoken out to reiterate the crucial need for access to skilled migrants and 457 visas to keep skills shortages from worsening.

The following was recently reported by Cars Guide;

You could wait longer to have your car repaired if 457 visas are dropped, a peak motoring industry body says. The Australian Motor Industry Federation (AMIF) says the current critical shortage of mechanics and other auto workers will worsen if 457 visas are capped.

“The need is immediate. The shortage is now,” AMIF boss Richard Dudley told CarsGuide, “The shortage is of skilled automotive professionals is present now and likely to get worse, 457 visas are one of the few avenues available to try and gain the skilled people in the shortest possible timeframe.”

“The Australian automotive industry uses 457 visas as a source of securing expertise in a range of automotive professions experiencing a critical shortage of skilled people including mechanical repair, auto-electricians, body repair, and vehicle painting. “

The AMIF say that these shortages will not just affect regional areas; the effects will be universal and nationwide. Automotive businesses are closing each week, with a lack of staff the most common reason. Due to this diminished skilled worker pool, 457 visas are necessary in maintaining the ability to provide these automotive services.

“If we could find 19,000 skilled mechanics in the Australian-based workforce, we would employ them, but they simply do not exist,” Dudley said. The AMIF state that over the next five years, there will be a profound change impacting all automotive services due to the impacts of technology changes and globalisation.

To read the full story at Cars Guide, click here.

Are you looking for employment and sponsorship in Australia? AMVL International Recruitment has several clients who are searching for skilled migrants to work in their businesses, including motor, diesel, truck and agricultural mechanics, panel beaters, spray painters and civil engineers. For more information, click here or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

For information about how you can sponsor a skilled migrant with a 457 visa for your business, contact AMVL Migrations to speak to one of our Registered Migration Agents. Our team specialise in all visa categories and we pride ourselves on providing our clients with professional and friendly migration assistance and advice.

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Chinese alumni valuable to Australia

Remaining in Australia now easier for international students

Australian motor industry needs 457 workers to fill critical skills shortage

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