Projects hinge on crucial program
Capitalise on the skills of migrant workers to help skills shortage, writes
As Australia gears up to deliver on a significant number of infrastructure projects in the next five years, we find ourselves facing a challenge that could potentially hinder our progress: a significant skills shortfall.
This scarcity of talent – including engineers in critical sectors – threatens the completion of major projects and, consequently, our ambitious net zero targets.
Despite Australia experiencing record levels of migration over the past 12 months, it’s clear that neither migration nor domestic graduates can fully meet our present and future engineering needs. And that’s without factoring in the added complexities brought by the nation’s rental and housing crisis.
Research commissioned by Engineers Australia in 2021 revealed a potential, and practical, solution to the skills crunch: tapping into the underutilised potential of migrant engineers already living in Australia.
This research found almost half of the migrant engineers in the country were either unemployed or working in roles that didn’t fully utilise their skills and experience. This equates to about 100,000 skilled professionals ready to contribute to bridging this critical skills gap.
In Tasmania, overseas-born engineers face unemployment rates significantly higher than their Australian-born peers. Tapping into this reservoir of talent could help ensure the success of flagship projects like Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation, and the Macquarie Point Precinct Plan.
The Global Engineering Talent (GET) program, initiated by Engineers Australia, is a response to the many barriers that migrant engineers face in finding employment, including a lack of local experience, insufficient professional networks, and the intricacies of navigating the Australian job market.
The program, backed by industry support, offers a comprehensive pathway for these engineers to transition into roles that leverage their skills and expertise, including a six-week training course and a 12week paid work placement.
This initiative facilitates their move into the Australian engineering landscape as well as enhancing their sense of belonging and contribution.
A commitment from the Northern Territory and Queensland governments to fund initial places in the pilot program, alongside Hydro Tasmania’s role as a host organisation, marks a significant step towards national scalability.
The success stories emerging from the GET program, such as Surendran Rajindram’s valuable contributions to Hydro’s Battery of the Nation project, shows the impact of incorporating skilled migrant engineers into crucial initiatives.
Mechanical engineer Surendran put himself through university, gained seven years of varied engineering experience in Malaysia, and left a well-paid job to move to Australia. His story mirrors many highly qualified and experienced engineers struggling in Australia while they try to breakthrough with employers.
The GET program offers more than just a solution to the immediate skills shortage; it promises a strategic approach to building a diverse, skilled, and adaptable engineering workforce. This, in turn, ensures that Australia, and particularly Tasmania, is wellpositioned to realise the completion of sustainable infrastructure projects that are so critical for our future.
By broadening our perspectives and fully embracing the potential of migrant engineers, we cannot only address a pressing workforce need but also enrich our professional community with diverse insights and expertise, paving the way for a more resilient and sustainable Australia.