Skilled migrants will be encouraged to move to Victoria, particularly to regional areas, under a new strategy to increase the state’s share of Australia’s skilled migrant intake to 28.5 per cent, from the current 26.8 per cent.



The Premier, John Brumby, and the Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan, today released the next stage of the Victorian Government’s skilled migration strategy, which targets skilled and business migrants.

Mr Brumby said the new strategy, Global Skills for Victoria, aimed to increase Victoria’s share of the nation’s intake of skilled and business migrants to 28.5 per cent by 2011.

“Victoria has exceeded its previous target of attracting 25 per cent of the nation’s total intake of skilled and business migrants," Mr Brumby said.

“Our government is now investing an additional $8.4 million, bringing Victoria’s commitment to skilled and business migration to $15 million over the next four years."

Initiatives under Global Skills for Victoria include:

· Establishing two new overseas postings in the United Kingdom and India to provide a local presence for the Victoria Government’s Skilled Migration Program;

· Establishing a Skilled and Business Migration Advisory Committee to help ensure an integrated and streamlined approach to attracting and retaining skilled migrants to Victoria;

· Delivering industry and career insight seminars which will provide newly arrived and new onshore skilled migrants with advice on finding work in their fields;

· Increasing the scope of the government’s Skills Shortages Surveys to provide analysis for the first time across five sub-regions in key industry sectors in metropolitan Melbourne, while continuing the Regional Skills Shortages Surveys;

· Establishing a new Global Skills for Provincial Victoria Program to provide services to attract migrants to regional areas and link them with local employers.

Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan, said the new campaign would continue the Brumby Government’s strong focus on attracting business and skilled migrants to regional Victoria.

“Regional Victoria has enjoyed strong employment, investment and population growth over the last eight years," Ms Allan said.

“This growth means that regional businesses and industries find it difficult to attract sufficient numbers of highly skilled workers.

“Our new campaign, and particularly our new Global Skills for Provincial Victoria Program, will ensure that sufficient numbers of highly skilled workers are attracted to regional communities to meet the skills needs of regional Victoria.

“Skilled migrants will be attracted to regions around the provincial centres of Ballarat, Geelong, Bendigo, Mildura, Swan Hill, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Shepparton, Warrnambool, La Trobe Valley and Horsham."

Victoria has grown its share of Australia’s skilled migrant intake from 17.6 per cent in 1998-99 to 26.8 per cent in 2005-06.

Source: The Australians

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