Overseas graduates can ease the tech skills shortage

Australia is failing to capitalise on the potential for international students to remain after they graduate and help alleviate technology skill shortages, according to new research by federal government agency Austrade. The 2022 Australian International Education Conference was told last week that graduates who sought to stay in Australia and join the tech workforce faced “multiple barriers, ranging from visa applications, finding work in the sector, and extension of stay”. These barriers, in turn, hindered Australia’s ability to attract foreign investment, the research found. “Availability of skilled workers is a key criterion for foreign investment. Meeting Australia’s skilled workforce needs will attract international investors and enable domestic companies to expand,” Melissa Banks, head of Austrade’s international education centre of excellence said. She said that, even though Australia was experiencing rapid growth and skill shortages in the technology sector, the number of international students using their post-study work rights visa to stay and work in technology jobs was low. “Locally trained and skilled students are not staying in Australia,” she said. “International students should be part of our workforce solution to address shortages and increase our competitiveness.” Ms Banks said that improving the transition from study to work for international students would help retain their talent in Australia. Once they have graduated, international students are able to use a 485 post-study work visa to stay and get a job in Australia for several years. Scott Neil from the Technology Council of Australia told the conference that technology was now the seventh-largest employer in Australia. He said the vacancy rate in these jobs was well above the Australian average and forecast to get larger. “These are good, high-paying, secure jobs, and we’re having a lot of trouble meeting our demand,” he said. Mr Neil said there was a “tremendous opportunity” for the technology sector to reach out to international students and persuade them to remain in Australia after graduation to work in technology. He said the industry was working on creating a pathway for international students, which began when they enrolled for study in Australia, continued during their course and then led to employment after graduation. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us,” Mr Neil said. Rob Lawrence, director of Prospect Research and Marketing, who did research for Austrade on the issue, interviewed international students and graduates. He said their view was that Australia’s advanced technology industries were “very insular” and that people who get jobs already have networks in the field. Mr Lawrence said that international students generally didn’t know enough about careers in Australia and often did not use careers services at universities. “They are often put off by complex application screening processes,” he told the conference. “A lot of them are culturally not aware of how sophisticated the screening processes are amongst many employers and they fail to constantly improve their skill sets as they go along.” Mr Lawrence said there was increasing recognition by international students of the value of industry placements and workplace skills in getting a job in Australia. But the students needed to know more about job-finding skills. In interviews, he asked graduates and students to bring along their resume. “They weren’t personalised enough. They weren’t tailored to the industry. It was very much a generic blank canvas where they talked too much about the qualification and not enough about the depth they could provide,” he said.

Overseas graduates can ease the tech skills shortage

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