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Anita Devos , Denise Beale, Sue Webb Faculty of Education & CEET Monash University

Skilled migration, women and the role of education and training in regional Australia Introduction to an NCVER funded research project. Anita Devos , Denise Beale, Sue Webb Faculty of Education & CEET Monash University. Outline of presentation. A brief overview of regional skilled migration

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Anita Devos , Denise Beale, Sue Webb Faculty of Education & CEET Monash University

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  1. Skilled migration, women and the role of education and training in regional AustraliaIntroduction to an NCVER funded research project Anita Devos, Denise Beale, Sue Webb Faculty of Education & CEET Monash University

  2. Outline of presentation • A brief overview of regional skilled migration • Research questions and aims • The research rationale and key considerations • Design and methodology • Methods and preliminary findings • Issues in developing the research • Invitation for feedback

  3. Regional skilled migration • Temporary and permanent skilled migration a strategy used to address skills shortages. • A number of regional migration programs aiming to attract migrants into regional areas. • The majority of regional migrants are sponsored either by an employer or by a state or territory government. • An increase in the number of places under the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme has been announced for 2011-12 (Crean, 2011).

  4. Rising numbers of skilled regional migrants • Between 2008 and 2010, grants of employer-sponsored visas increased by 102%. State and territory sponsored grants increased by 151 %(DIAC, 2011). • Between 1998 and 2009, the numbers of skilled migrants settling in regional Australia rose from 10% to 14.7% (Cully, 2010). • 73% of permanent migrants settling in regional areas arrived originally on 457 temporary visas (Cully, 2010). • More than 50 % of these migrants were secondary applicants (Cully, 2010).

  5. Rationale for the research • The growing number of migrants in regional areas. • Migrants as primary visa holders may be sponsored but what about their spouses? • The limited data available, particularly in relation to gender and the education and training experience and labour market experiences of migrants in the regions. • Research into the experience of skilled migrant women in regional areas is scant. • The limited evidence suggests these women face a number of challenges in finding work and education that supports their entry into work. • If having a job is a measure of social inclusion, this an issue for retaining those families in the regions.

  6. Research questions • How can VET contribute towards socially inclusive outcomes for migrant women and their families in regional Australia? • How can the cultural capital and assets of migrant women be harnessed in the context of regional industry, community development and social cohesion?

  7. Aims of the research • To identify the aspirations and issues of skilled migrant women. • To map the presence, and participation rates in VET and in work, of migrant women in regional communities, beginning with two case study sites. • To understand how new skilled women migrants utilise previous and current learning experiences in their transition into the labour market in Australia. • To contribute to the development of policy and frameworks for utilising the assets of skilled migrant women in regional Australia.

  8. Key considerations shaping the study • What is the relationship between VET and migration? • How does skilled migration in the regions affect VET? • What does social inclusion look like for migrants in the regions? Having any old job or is it something more? • What part does VET play in achieving socially inclusive outcomes in regional areas particularly for migrant women and their families?

  9. The research design and methodology • Case study approach—2 regional centres • Three levels of inquiry: • The ‘demand-drivers’, particularly regional and migration policies and labour markets. • The supply-side organisations that support new migrants and provide education and training to assist the migrant into employment. • The individual migrant woman and the role of learning in a regional location.

  10. Methods • A review of the literature on women and VET, regional issues in VET, and women, migration and learning. • An analysis of existing quantitative data from the ABS and DIAC on the demographic features, geographical location and human capital of both temporary and permanent skilled migrants in regional Australia. • Field work in two regional centres in Victoria with high skilled migrant populations, utilising focus groups, individual interviews and workshops.

  11. Labour force status migrant women Source: ABS (2007) Labour force status and other characteristics of recent migrants, cat.no. 6250.0, Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Data analysed includes women arrivals after 1997 of working age (1269 observations of which 1038 were in capital cities, 231 were not)

  12. Preliminary findings – 1 (2007 LFS) Women migrants who are not primary applicants are less qualified than women who are PAs And the more qualified are more likely to be employed • Over 50% of permanent skilled and temp. (457) women migrants have degrees or above; • 33-35% women entering as family members & companions (all visas) have degrees or above; • 64% migrant women with degree or above are employed as are 60% of those with VET quals; • But those with no post school quals are just as likely not to be in the labour force (48%) as they are to employed (48%).

  13. Preliminary findings – 2 (2007 LFS) Some women migrants experience downward mobility and perhaps skill under-utilisation • Of those who gained a degree or above overseas, only 40% are working in occupations requiring a degree, 36% are not working, and 24% are in jobs with lower skill levels, mostly as clerical and administrative workers; • Of those with VET quals from Cert II – Adv Diploma, 40% are not working and 8% are working as labourers.

  14. Issues in developing the project • Fragmented picture of the geography of migration making mapping difficult • Challenge of researching diverse communities and cultures in distant locations • Skilled migrants as humanitarian visa holders and their place in the study • The need to be flexible when working with diverse groups and organisations

  15. Feedback and comments • We invite your comments on any aspect of the project. • Please contact: Dr Denise Beale Research Fellow Faculty of Education Monash University Clayton VIC 3800 Denise.beale@monash.edu. Thank you

  16. References • ABS (2007) Labour force status and other characteristics of recent migrants, cat.no. 6250.0, Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. • Crean, S. (2011) Budget 2011-12. Investing in regional Australia, Canberra: Treasury. • Cully, M. (2010) The contribution of migrants to regional Australia, Canberra: Department of Immigration and Citizenship. • DIAC (2011) Population flows: Immigration aspects 2009–10 edition, Canberra: Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

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