Start your New Year with FREE CPD Activities by McKkr’s 1000 FREE CPD Activities As a commitment towards making a positive contribution to the Migration and Education industries and benefitting its members to the maximum, ME Alliance has a Christmas-cum-New Year present for its members – something that has never been offered before in Australia. ME Alliance’s major sponsor, McKkr’s, is giving 100 of its lucky members (RMAs and Legal Practitioners) 10 Free CPD activities each through a draw (worth a total of 1000 CPD Points*). 50% Commission on Training Benchmark B* is also on offer. As tempting as it may sound, these offers are only available for ME Alliance members; but the good news is that becoming a member is FREE and takes just a minute online at our website. You can become a ME Alliance member by registering online here Once you become a ME Alliance member, your name will automatically enter into the draw along with other ME Alliance member RMAs and Lawyers. All legal practitioners should check their entitlement to claim CPD points with their relevant professional bodies. Draw date: 24th December 2015 Announcement date: 4th January 2016 * Terms and Conditions: Only for ME Alliance member RMAs and Lawyers Free CPD points can only be used for Private Study CPD points must be redeemed by 30th June 2016 You must pass the assessments to get the CPD Points
International travellers have voted Sydney as the world’s friendliest city for 2015, in Conde Nast Traveller’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. “Such friendly people,” enthused one reader, “so much so that after we met an Australian woman on our flight there, she offered to pick us up at our hotel and spent a whole day showing us her favorite parts of the city.” Sydney’s highlights for visitors were tours of the harbour and the Harbour Bridge climb. The city tied last year as the fifth friendliest city in the world, when Melbourne was ranked number 1. Dublin, Queenstown, Krakow and Bruges also comprised the top five friendliest cities. Luckily for Australia there weren’t any Australian cities mentioned in the world’s unfriendliest city for 2015. If you are a business connected to tourism and migration, and want access to more research and trends related to international and domestic tourism and travel.
New research from the Economist Intelligence Unit has confirmed that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has a positive, causal impact on employment in Australia. Modelling based on data since 2000 has shown that a A$1 billion increase in FDI would result in the creation of around 1,000 Australian jobs. Australia was able to attract over A$140 billion in new foreign direct investment. This was up A$21.2 billion, or 17.8 per cent on the A$119 billion invested in Australia in 2013. ‘Investment and trade are two sides of the same coin, and without investment we would not have been able to create the strong national industries that underpin our economy.’ Minister Andrew Robb said. ‘To be clear, investment equals jobs and growth.’ The total stock of FDI in Australia as at year end 2014, amounted to A$688 billion, or 2.2 per cent of total global FDI. The investment outcomes by the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) in terms of the number of projects supported, were up 28 per cent in the fiscal year 2014/15, reaching almost A$7.75 billion. You can read all of the figure here. http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/international-investment-australia.aspx It is an informative resource providing detailed snapshots of the latest trends in Australia’s international investment position with the world (both inwards and outwards) as well as a summary of the world direct investment position. With the investments and employment opportunities in Australia growing it is extremely essential that people looking for work are ready to be employed.
Visa applicants who will be doing their specified work after 31 August for their second WHV will need to make sure that they have pay slips that cover each day of work when submitting an application for a second Working Holiday visa. Electronic copies of applicants pay slips can be uploaded as attachments to their online second Working Holiday visa application, or hardcopies can be provided with a paper application. All Australian employers must provide their employees with pay, conditions and workplace entitlements in accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009 or relevant state legislation. This includes work performed in Australia’s agriculture sector, such as plant or animal cultivation activities on a farm. From 31 August 2015, all applicants for a second Working Holiday visa must provide pay slips as evidence of appropriate remuneration with their application. This will help ensure that work undertaken by Working Holiday visa holders is performed in accordance with workplace law. All Australian employers are legally required to provide their employees with pay slips. Work performed before the commencement date will not require pay slip evidence. Pay slips need to show that the participant’s specified work was paid work and that the pay was in accord with the basic pay entitlements employees should receive when working in Australia. Australian rates of pay can be found on the Fair Work Ombudsman website. Temporary transitional arrangements The Department acknowledges that some participants will be in the middle of a work placement on 31 August 2015, and might be unable to provide pay slips for work undertaken on/around that date. In this scenario, pay slips will not be required, provided it is clear from the dates on the participant’s specified work supporting documentation (such as Form1263 (171KB PDF)) that the placement was already underway on 31 August 2015. Questions you may have about your circumstances: What if I’m not given pay slips from my employer? Don’t be afraid to ask your employer for pay slips – it’s your legal right, and they have to contain certain information. For more information about pay slips, go to:http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/pay-slips-and-record-keeping/pay-slips How do I know if I’ve been paid the right amount? In some cases, your pay rate will be set by the national minimum wage, which is currently $17.29 per hour (before tax). You may be entitled to a higher rate if you are covered by an award, enterprise agreement or other registered agreement. For more information about pay, and to use the ‘Pay Calculator’, go to: http://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/findyouraward What about volunteer work? We know that some groups, like Willing Workers on Organic Farms, promote themselves to Working Holiday visa holders. If you’d like to volunteer some of your time to help out doing activities that count as specified work, you can, but you won’t be able to count it towards your 88 days specified work if you start the volunteer work after 31 August 2015. If you started the volunteer work before 31 August, you will be able to count all days worked on the placement, even if you finish up after 31 August. If you finished volunteer work before 31 August that counts as specified work, you can include these days towards your 88 days specified work if you apply for a second Working Holiday visa.
ME Connect’s Tanaya Das speaks to Steven Gargano, the general manager of multiple hospitality businesses in the heart of Sydney’s eclectic Surry Hills, about what it means to lead an increasingly diverse workforce and what the 457 Visa means to hospitality businesses. As the European migrant crisis intensifies, we in Australia read the same headlines over and over again; from the so called patriots reclaiming what it is to be Aussie to scary headlines claiming businesses prefer 457 Visa holders to local workers. With over 30 years experience in the hospitality industry Steven Gargano currently manages the four-star Cambridge, 3.5-star Abey Hotel and boutique five-star ADGE Apartment; and has won numerous industry awards for the businesses he runs. He is also the recipient of the Multi Property Manager of the Year 2013 for the AAA Awards. With workers from over 10 nationalities working for the properties, Steven says, “diversity and different cultures are excellent. This combination enriches Australian-born Australians, and results in employees being accepting and understanding of dissimilarities and realising that we are all the same because in the end we really are all the same.” Successfully managing an increasingly global workforce requires more than tolerance and respect for different cultures. Gargano thinks it demands ‘good communication or listening attentively’. “Picking up on cues is crucial. Being supportive in what you can do for your employees and genuinely caring about their wellbeing. It is a continuous process; to truly listen to employee needs without being influenced by prejudice to knowing what gives them a better experience and motivates them to come to work,” he adds. Mainstream media as well as trade unions constantly like to claim that businesses are using sponsored workers for ‘cheap labour’; a curious argument when the migration industry knows that, by law, businesses are required to pay the sponsored worker at the local rate. Gargano asserts that 457 Visa holders are not a threat to local jobs, in fact, “in the hospitality industry an international workforce means ideas that make our hotels truly more international and the skilled workforce from overseas invigorates and adds vitality to the industry.” Businesses, big and small, as well as industry bodies keep asserting that 457 Visa arrangements are being used legitimately by employers to meet a genuine gap that currently exists between the number of skilled local workers and the rising demand for skilled labour. Gargano supports the claim. “Most companies are doing the correct thing. We don’t get the right local people applying for jobs. The 457 Visa is extremely important to us. Before we sponsor, we run ads for weeks and months. We would genuinely like to employ without sponsoring, however, we would be handicapped without the 457 Visas.”
Sydney Morning Herald has reported international student colleges are allegedly taking cash kickbacks in return for helping overseas workers and students win Australian visas using fake qualifications. And a Fairfax Media investigation has revealed a college that had already been flagged by another government agency as being involved in education rorts was offered the opportunity to apply for the fast-tracked visa process by the Immigration Department. Immigration offered TK Melbourne Education and Training College to apply for the expedited visa process in March, even though the Australian Skills Quality Authority had weeks earlier found the college to be in “critical non-compliance” with national standards. It was reported that leaked documents revealed that the college has allegedly been providing fake qualifications costing tens of thousands of dollars, a practice that industry sources say is widespread and is often coupled with the exploitation of overseas workers.
The OET and IELTS test English language skills very differently. It is important to note that OET is not any easier than IELTS, but it requires a different knowledge of English. The OET tries to imitate the target workplace and was designed by both health professionals and language experts together. In comparison, IELTS was developed at Cambridge University as a tool for testing English language proficiency for a wide range of purposes (i.e. entry to universities and various professions). It requires a very high level of English and has been termed as the “gold standard” because those who pass must be extremely proficient. However, there is an argument that this type of proficiency is not necessarily relevant to nursing. Patsy Deverall, an examiner for both OET and IELTS, states, “There is a huge intersection between language, culture and communication. IELTS is measure of English proficiency but doesn’t have a cultural component that can assess relationships between people or the cultural mores at play in particular situations with patients.” On the other hand, the OET tests English in a medical context, so it can be said to be of greater benefit to the candidate in their future employment. It is important to remember however, that regardless of whether a candidate sits the OET or IELTS, the Nursing Council may also require a Competency Assessment Programme to be undertaken so that overseas nurses are fully prepared to work. There are other small differences between the two tests: IELTS is substantially cheaper than the OET and is offered more often. This, combined with its established reputation, makes IELTS the more popular choice for most candidates. The OET also has its benefits – if a candidate does not gain a ‘B’ pass in one or more skill areas, they are only required to re-sit those areas (at a lower price depending on how many skill areas need to be tested). Whereas students sitting IELTS must re-sit the entire test if any section is failed. Both tests have their various strong points – IELTS is instantly recognisable worldwide, and the OET can be helpful due to its healthcare context – and passing either of these leads on to medical registration in Australia. Sydney College of English offers preparation courses for both tests and is able to support students in whichever path they choose to gain medical registration in Australia. Want to know more about the OET for Healthcare Professionals? Click here.
We all know that the IELTS is not the easiest English test out there. It is used by governments and academic institutions to prove your English proficiency so you can be sure that the standards are high. Many people repeatedly fail at IELTS exams because they usually underestimate the test and many times overestimate their knowledge. Use the following five signs for yourself or your client to know if there is a need to take a preparation course before taking the IELTS test. Sign # 1 Context: During the listening module, you’ll have to provide answers to 40 questions throughout four recordings. The recordings will be played only once, and you’ll be required to answer those questions on-the-fly. Typical questions include sentence completion, summary completion, form completion and multiple choice. Sign: If you feel that you lack the necessary speed, accuracy and focus when multitasking in English, you need an IELTS preparation course. How a course can help: Before each recording, you will have some time to read the questions. You need to know in advance what information you are expected to supply depending upon the question. Is it a number, a name, an address? You will learn this in the course. Also, it is not surprising to get lost during a conversation, but you need to recover fast or you will miss all the questions of that task afterwards. This would be a disaster. In the course, you will be taught how to follow a conversation even if you miss something and how you can recover to continue answering the next questions. Sign # 2 Context: The reading module consists of 40 questions (both academic and general training) spread across three sections. The purpose of this module is to test a wide range of reading skills such as reading for gist, reading for main ideas, reading for detail, skimming, understanding logical argument, and recognising writers’ opinions, attitudes and purpose. Test takers have to provide short answers, match information, complete sentences, match headings or complete diagram labels. Sign: If you are not familiar with these types of questions, or if you are trying to read these texts as you normally read a book, an IELTS course will definitely help you get a higher score in this band. How the course can help: You don’t have the time to go through the texts several times. There are strategies to help you to avoid this situation. You will learn, for example, how to skim the text and on what kind of information you need to focus. Additionally, in the course you will practice a lot the different types of questions and you will get used to them. This will save you a lot of time. I personally found to be very difficult the type of questions that are True/False/Not given; but after doing many teacher-assisted exercises, the difference became much clearer. Sign # 3 Context: The writing module is perhaps the one that most people struggle with. It has two tasks: in the first (academic training), you will be asked to describe and explain data, describe the stages of a process and how something works or describe an object or event. You need to do this in 150 words. In the second task, you will be asked to write an essay (250 words) in response to a point of view, argument or problem. Both tasks in the academic training must be written in a formal style. Sign: If you don’t know what a formal style is like, or if you feel like you know the answer but struggle to find appropriate and assertive English terms, you will benefit from taking an IELTS preparation course. How the course can help: Describing and explaining data requires practice. Even if you are an expert at doing this, you may struggle when trying to do it in English. In the IELTS course, you will learn the most appropriate language to do it. You will also practice the different types of charts (line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables, multiple data sources, processes, diagrams) so that you get used to them and will not, therefore, be surprised in the test. Truth must be told. Writing Task 2 is not easy at all. First, because the topic given can be hard to develop if you are not familiar with it. You might have an idea but remember, you need to develop it in 250 words and you only have 40 minutes. Second, because the essay must have a proper structure, you cannot write everything that comes to mind. In an IELTS course, you will learn what the structure of an essay is, how to develop it, how to write the introduction and conclusion, and so on. You will also learn how to connect your ideas using proper English. Additionally, you will practice writing about topics that are common on the IELTS so you become familiar with them. Moreover, you will learn and practice the different types of essays that commonly come up on IELTS: Agree or Disagree, Discuss two Opposing Opinions, Advantages and Disadvantages, Problems and Solutions, Causes and Solutions, Causes and Effects. Last but not least, the main advantage of the course is that a teacher will correct your mistakes and will show you how to improve your writing. Sign # 4 Context: The fourth and final module is there to assess your speaking skills. This test is less than 15 minutes long and is split into three parts. The first five minutes are reserved for introduction and general topics between the test taker and the examiner. The second part assesses the test taker’s ability to speak about a random topic given on a task card. The last part merely adds complexity to the second. At this stage, the examiner will also pay attention to pronunciation, lexical resource and fluency. Sign: If you lack fluency or coherence in direct communication, you need some practice. This module is all about repetition. Repetition, repetition, repetition! How the course can help: In an IELTS course, your pronunciation will be improved with the
“The industry can be a bit daunting in the beginning, but things eventually get better in terms of support from other members of the industry. You are quite isolated when you first start up, but with regular training, CPD and networking; you soon build up a good peer group and knowledge base.” ME Alliance member, Terry Collier (MARN: 1280360) They say never miss an opportunity to grow. Networking gives us this exact opportunity. When you network you give and receive. By simply meeting and talking to people, you develop a rapport that can get you long-term relationships and long lasting impressions among your profession. What else we get from networking? Building connections. An opportunity to grow our circle of business contacts. Making friends. It’s always good to have friends in the industry. Staying informed. We learn about what others are offering and what’s new in the market. Information sharing. We can seek and provide assistance on various matters. Stepping out means promoting ourselves. Making an impression. We can make positive influence and add credibility to our companies/brands. Self Esteem. By sharing, we play our positive role in contributing to the industry. Communication. We can’t communicate unless we know each other; and we will not know each other unless we meet. Socialise. We hardly get time to talk to each other. Networking events give us the time to meet like-minded in a relaxed environment, and at no cost of our work. ME Alliance is hosting a networking event for RMAs and education agents in Sydney this coming September, and would like all its members to attend. More than half of permanent settlers in Australia come here as students. RMAs and education agents can benefit heaps from working closely to develop their clientele and businesses in these very inter-related professions. And besides, for all the hard work all year round, you all deserve a break once a while! To express interest in attending the event, just drop us a single-liner at: admin@mckkrs.com.au and we will call you back.
From 1 July 2015, new registration standards for English language skills will come into effect for all professions, except Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practice. The new standards are: a common standard for 12 professions: Chinese medicine, chiropractic, dental, medical, medical radiation, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatry and psychology; the standard for 10 Boards (no additional wording); the standard for dental, with the addition for some very brief dental-specific words for applicants for limited registration; the standard for medical, with the addition of information about two medicine-specific English language tests; a profession-specific standard for nursing and midwifery, which shares many elements with the common standard. Document PDF Accessible format Date of effect English language skills registration standard PDF(375KB) Word version(577KB,DOCX) 1 July 2015 English language skills registration standard (dental) PDF(225KB) Word version(72.8KB,DOCX) 1 July 2015 English language skills registration standard (medical) PDF(216KB) Word version(72.6KB,DOCX) 1 July 2015 English language skills registration standard (nursing and midwifery) PDF(317KB) Word version(396KB,DOCX) 1 July 2015 These new standards were developed after a review of the existing standards, which included a public consultation. The consultation report provides a summary of responses, rationale for any changes and sets out the proposed way forward, including areas where further work is planned. Document PDF Accessible format Document Consultation report PDF(576KB) Word version(638 KB,DOCX) May 2015 The new standards introduce additional pathways for applicants to demonstrate evidence of their English language skills. Diagrams of how these work are included under ‘additional resources’. These new standards apply to all applicants for initial registration, regardless of whether they qualified in Australia or overseas, except for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners. The English language skills registration standard for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners is being reviewed at a later date, and does not change on 1 July 2015. Additional resources about the standards coming in to effect from 1 July 2015. Document PDF Accessible format Document date Letter from Ministerial Council approving the new standards PDF(1.10MB) April 2015 FAQ for all professions (except nurses and midwives): Find out more about the standards PDF(197KB) Word version(76.5KB,DOCX) May 2015 FAQ: Additional information for Chinese medicine practitioners PDF(280KB) Word version(83.4KB,DOCX) May 2015 Pathways diagram for all professions (except nurses and midwives): Explains the requirements for each pathway PDF(104KB) Word version(569 KB,DOCX) July 2015 Evidence guide for all professions (except nurses and midwives) PDF(268KB) Word version(799KB,DOCX) May 2015 Information specific to nurses and midwives Document PDF Accessible format Document date Pathways diagram for nurses and midwives: Explains the requirements for each pathway PDF(110KB) Word version(569 KB,DOCX) July 2015 Evidence guide for nurses and midwives PDF(296KB) Word version(207 KB,DOCX) May 2015 FAQ: Information for nurses and midwives about the standard PDF(271KB) Word version(395KB,DOCX) May 2015 About the English language skills test For more information about the tests, please refer to the provider’s website. IELTS OET TOEFL Pearson NZREX (medical only) PLAB (medical only)