The federal government will allow skilled workers from the United States to get a provisional licence to commence work in Australia immediately upon arrival, but the move has already upset local electricians.
Federal Skills Minister Chris Evans said the new measure would link Australian employers with skilled workers in the US to fill skill shortages, especially in trades such as electricians and plumbers.
"This is a great opportunity to address skill shortages in Australia by filling shortfalls in particular areas with qualified candidates from the US, with applications expected to open from mid-April," he said in a statement on Monday.
Under existing arrangements such workers need to be assessed onshore (i.e. in Australia) which can mean waiting months between entry and starting work.
Under the new skills assessment process, US workers will be assessed against Australian regulatory requirements before entering the country.
Senator Evans told reporters the assessment process was available to other nations and it was only logical that it be extended to the US.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the government planned to run its overseas Skills Australia Needs expo in the US for the first time to attract skilled workers in the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors.
The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) responded to the move by saying it was not consulted on the change, and would need convincing that any program to assess electricians overseas has very strong control measures in place.
“Employers in our industry would need to be satisfied that a robust assessment process has been developed to assess electricians in the United States or any other country for that matter before they agreed to employ a worker from overseas that has been granted an Australian licence under a new government program,” NECA chief executive James Tinslay said.
“Australia’s wiring and electrical standards vary markedly from many parts of the world including the United States. Although electricians from the US also have high electrical safety standards, they need to study and be assessed against the relevant Australian standards.
Mr Tinslay not that electricians with a provisional licence “would not be able to undertake electrical work without constant supervision of a licensed electrician”.
He called on the government to discuss the program with the electrical industry before it is rolled out.
He added that the electrical industry is one of the first to attempt implementation of a national licence that is meant to commence on 1 July 2012. However there are doubts about the start date for this reform, according to media reports today.
