Are you willing to travel internationally for work and study?
This is a loaded question. A range of considerations would be pondered and include family, need for excitement, ambition, prospects etc.
Few academic qualifications have the global allure that engineering does. And some engineers are characterized by their determination to acquire those credentials which enable them to take on the world.
Most people, however, are more content to remain in their communities, to study, work and raise their families within the familiarity of ‘home’. And then there are those that might develop a thirst for travel and work, but are unsure how to start; how to make their qualifications mobile, how to look for opportunities that could take them elsewhere.
An occupation in high demand in Australia for example, is engineering and they have recently amended their temporary and skilled visa occupations list. Engineers looking to work on another continent, therefore, should note such changes to policy.
For work experience abroad, specifically in Australia, there are two options for qualified engineers.
Option 1: The Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa
If a qualified engineer is under 31 years of age he or she can apply for the Skilled Recognised Graduate Visa. If, after getting a taste for it, the engineer would like to settle in Australia, an application to do so can be made.
Interestingly, the Australian government does not require previous work experience from those engineers who want to apply for this visa. Spouses and dependent children can go too.
Option 2: Skilled Independent Visa
Engineers over the age of 31 are able to apply to immigrate to Australia, with their spouses and children. In fact qualified engineers are on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) that the Australian government has set out. At times the Australian government has been known to recruit from overseas if certain skill sets are required.
There is nothing quite like engineering when it comes to being a vital contributor to the infrastructure of a country. Engineers have the necessary skills to keep a country running. It is when gaps in these skills are perceived that governments actively recruit from overseas.
Immigration Minister of Australia, Peter Dutton, has indicated that their recent policy changes are a reflection of the ‘genuine skill needs in the labor market’.
Check your eligibility here: LIST OF ELIGIBLE SKILLS OCCUPATIONS
Another reason to travel abroad is for study
For a student to study overseas he or she must be accepted by an education institution, one that has been registered to accept international students.
In Australia the registering body is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). It is responsible for ensuring their education facilities and courses are up to scratch.
Australia is a popular study destination and this has made its study centres richly diverse, with people from all over the globe acquiring qualifications.
Studying overseas is appealing for a number of reasons. It provides students with the prospect of living in and experiencing a new environment for a number of years. It may also provide the students with learning opportunities that cannot be attained in their own countries. And it offers them the chance to work in other parts of the world.
For engineers who have a taste for travel the importance of obtaining globally recognized skills cannot be underestimated. It provides those, with this wanderlust, the opportunity to form part of a global engineering company that takes them around the world.
Works Cited
“Lists of Eligible Skilled Occupations.” Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Web. 12 July 2017.
“Move to Australia.” Move to Australia | Personal Consultations. Web. 12 July 2017.
