Hunting For Migrants

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday March 28, 2006

By GREG ELLIS

A WOLLONGONG employment agency has received an overwhelming response to its involvement in Illawarra's latest bid to attract skilled migrants.

After providing more than 100 traineeship opportunities in the last 12 months, Edmen Employment headed for Europe's largest employment and investment fair.

The trip to London was supported by the Illawarra Regional Development Board, Wollongong City Council, South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, Australian Health Management, Chief Technology Solutions, Illawarra Business Chamber, Shoalhaven City Council, Shellharbour City Council and Immigr8 2 Oz.

Edmen chief operating officer David Cuda said skilled migration was only a short-term solution to satisfy clients who couldn't find suitably skilled workers for major infrastructure projects that were about to occur.

And using skilled migrants as mentors was the fastest way to access the skills required and create more opportunities for trainees and apprentices.

The mission to the One Life skills fair helped spread the Edmen name through Europe.

And it helped to develop relationships with other organisations such as immigration agencies, who could identify skilled workers in Europe.

"We have formed agreements with the largest online job site in the UK which purely caters for people looking for work in Australia," Mr Cuda said.

"We get first preference on mechanical tradespeople, being boilermakers, fitters and welders, or health care personnel such as nurses.

"We are also going to advertise all our vacancies on that site."

Edmen also established first preference agreements with organisations that process large numbers of visas.

"We registered over 300 expressions of interest to come to this region," Mr Cuda said.

"I am already working with 50 to try and find employment in the Illawarra."

Wollongong Economic Development manager Bob Doyle said no other stand at the expo had regional representation.

He said with more personnel they could have easily registered 900 expressions of interest but that number was starting to flood in via email.

Illawarra Regional Development Board general manager Peter Pedersen emphasised the delegation travelled to London to find skilled people for positions that were presently unable to be filled.

They were armed with information from the recent skills audit that highlighted the areas they needed to target.

"Hopefully in the future we won't have to head down this path," he said.