Maximising the value of SA’s migrant community

The Department of State Development’s (DSD) Attraction, Connection and Retention (ACR) Strategy for Skilled Migration is guiding a series of actions to facilitate better connections between local employers and job ready skilled migrants in South Australia.

As part of this, DSD has launched the Skilled Migration Talent and Industry Connection Program. This is a grant program to fund initiatives in partnership with organisations to assist skilled migrants in South Australia to enter and be fully utilised in priority industry sectors.

Other key actions under the ACR Strategy aimed at improving the utilisation of skilled migrants are:

• Welcome to South Australia events to provide opportunities for migrants to connect with organisations tailored to their specific needs.
• Partnership with key public sector employers including SA Health and the Department of Education to help connect migrants to health and teaching vacancies in the public sector.
• Partnership with the Australian Migrant Resource Centre to support skilled migrants into employment and training opportunities in Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Bordertown, Murraylands, Whyalla and metropolitan Adelaide.
• Collaboration with professional organisations in critical sectors to develop programs and solutions to help qualified skilled migrants into suitable employment in South Australia.
• Collaboration with the Migrant Women Professional Network to empower migrant women through connections and personal growth.
• Extensive local engagement activities with South Australian employers, industry organisations and other groups to heighten awareness of the available local skilled migrant talent pool to help businesses meet their workforce needs.

DSD is also:

• Continuing its advocacy to the Commonwealth Government to expand settlement services available to skilled migrants.
• Exploring potential to develop employers guide with engineering industry to provide practical advice and information to access the pool of international skills and knowledge of people from migrant backgrounds with engineering qualifications.
• Promoting employer sponsored migration including South Australia’s Designated Area Migration Agreements.

Department of the Premier and Cabinet's response:

• People Matter survey data release and consideration of actions (Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OPCSE)):
  • Education and promotion about cultural leave
  • Identify leadership development opportunities for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) employees
  • Review of inclusive recruitment practices
  • Mentorship opportunities
  • Leadership targets
• Inclusion of Multicultural Charter in CE Performance Agreements (OPCSE)
• State Government agencies to report annually through the State of the Sector Report on total number of employees who completed CALD training.
• Ambassador Program scale-up to non-Government organisations from 2024 and within the Public Sector from 2025.

Supporting work experience and graduate opportunities for skilled migrants is also being bolstered through the Alternative Program.

Over 18-months, a pool of graduates will be connected with three paid industry placements, spending six months at each to thrive and make connections with leading SA industries, among fellow leaders.

These graduates will gain real-world experience, an abundance of growth and be part of a graduate community.

The South Australian Skills Commission is working on the introduction of the Occupational Recognition Service to simplify and fast track the process for current and future migrants to have their existing skills and knowledge recognised.