The Victorian Chamber recently participated in an industry roundtable on international student employment co-chaired by the Chair of the International Education Advisory Council (IEAC), John Brumby AO and the Secretary of the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, Simon Phemister.

IEAC is a non-statutory committee established to provide advice to the Victorian Government on issues and policies relating to Victoria’s international education sector.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IEAC has been playing a critical role advising government on sector stabilisation and recovery and implementing initiatives under the International Education Short-Term Recovery Plan.

The Chamber agreed to the Victorian Commitment to Action: Improving International Student Employment Outcomes, including the following actions:

1. Employ more – Employ more international students and graduates in their fields of expertise.
2. Offer more work experience – Facilitate international students’ access to quality and relevant work experience to build your talent pipeline and organisational diversity.
3. Targets – Make it part of your organisation’s goals by setting targets, or better still make an individual or team accountable for it.
4. Remove barriers – Identify and resolve any real or perceived barriers within the organisation and seek professional legal/migration advice as necessary.
5. Share success stories – Publicly share employment statistics, stories of success and/or advice for other employers.

Victorian Chamber Chief Executive Paul Guerra said: “In a globally competitive environment, we need to make sure Australia is renowned as a great place to study, work, build a career and base your business.

“More than 200,000 international students from over 170 countries choose Victoria as a destination to study every year. We need to motivate international students to return to our shores and those currently here to stay longer to ensure we are not losing out on talent to other countries.”

Ongoing support and advocacy

The Victorian Chamber will continue to work with both Federal and Victorian Governments to ensure the state can implement the necessary settings for international students and workers to bolster our economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

To see how we can help you hire overseas workers in Victoria, read here.

If your business is facing skills shortages or would like to be involved in our advocacy work, please contact policy@victorianchamber.com.au.