Manpower authorities to send 500 RI workers to Australia
Brisbane (ANTARA News) -
Indonesian manpower authorities plan to send up to 500 skilled and
semi-skilled workers to Australia this year to be employed in the
construction, mining, nursing, education and fruit plantation sectors,
an Indonesian consulate official said.
The plan was discussed with the relevant parties in Australia by a
delegation of the Indonesian Workers Placement and Protection Agency
(BNP2 TKI) which visited Melbourne recently, minister counselor for
economic affairs at the Indonesian Consulate General here, Jahar Gultom,
said Thursday.
The eight-man BNP2 TKI delegation held a series of meetings with
relevant parties in Victoria to explore the possibility of sending
skilled and semi-skilled workers to Australia for employment as fruit
pickers, construction workers, nurses, miners and Indonesian-language
teachers.
The Indonesian delegation consisted of deputy of foreign cooperation and
promotion Ramli Saud, deputy of workers placement Ade Adam Noch, two
deputies for foreign cooperation in Asia Pacific and American regions
and four staffers.
Gultom said the delegation had also met Australian immigration officials
who gave them a better understanding of Australian immigration
regulations affecting foreign workers to be employed in Australia.
"The delegation had productive discussions with representatives of
relevant agencies in Melbourne. They gained a clear picture of the
conditions relating to the mastery of English for foreign workers in
this country," he said.
For half-skilled workers, the Australian government required a minimum
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 4.5, and
for skilled workers a minimum score of 7.0.
"The English proficiency requirement for nurses is quite high and must be met," Gultom said.
The delegation also had the opportunity to meet and have dialogues with
representatives of 22 Australian companies engaged in foreign workers
recruitment and employment and companies that often use foreign workers
in the fields of construction, information technology , mining, nursing,
trade, agriculture and education.
In addition, the delegates also met with representative of the medical
sciences and health faculty of Monash University to discuss the
possibility of forging cooperation in educating and providing training
to Indonesian nurses to enable them to meet hospital standards in
Australia, Gultom said. (*)
Source : http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/2/29/manpower-authorities-to-send-500-ri-workers-to-australia/
