Workplacement programme is an initiative of Skilled Migrant Professionals of Australia to help students and Skilled Migrant Professionals living in Australia to gain local work experience in their recognised profession or trade area.

The program provides one-to-one mentoring to guide students and skilled migrants through workings of the Australian employment systems, how to get local work experience and where to find the information to get the job they can do.

The students and Skilled Migrant professionals will access at least four to eight weeks of work experience in their areas of experience to enhance their pathway into employment by:

• Gaining an understanding of the Australian labour market, workplace culture and norms

• Develop local employment and business networks. Some of the program participants come to you qualified and skilled with many years of overseas experience in their profession or trade. Participants range from accountants, engineers, business developers, pharmacists, lawyers, Health and Safety advisors, electrical/Electronic technicians, quantity surveyors, welders, IT administrator, Computer analyst etc.

Employers in the program will be listed on the SMP website to acknowledge their support.

The aim of the program is to help participants gain local work experience, thereby enabling them to search for work in their preferred profession. The opportunity to undertake a practical industry placement with a local host employer greatly enhances the participant’s confidence and integration into the local workforce.

SMP Workplacement Programmeparticipants are:

• students in their final year of study or just graduated from university

• skilled, fully qualified and experienced professionals (overseas)

• assessed by SMP career coaches to have reached a level of work-readiness and communication skills relevant to the placement

• highly motivated to build a successful career in Australia and keen to make the most of their work experience opportunity

• inducted into local occupational health and safety requirements • fully covered by SMP insurance coverage

Host Employer

As a host employer you can help a student or an overseas qualified professional gain meaningful employment in their recognised profession or trade area through work experience. In return, you will benefit by having access to:

• Highly skilled business professionals with overseas employment experience

• Bilingual skills which creates a cultural diverse workforce for your company

• Community goodwill and an opportunity to promote your company as a supporter of development opportunities

• Free publicity on SMP website

• Trial a prospective job applicant We ask you to provide unpaid work experience to our program participants for a minimum 200 hours. This can be undertaken on a full time or part time basis.

Insurance

Program participants undertake unpaid work placements are provided with full insurance coverage including liability, personal injury and products liability insurance.

Areas of Expertise

SMP Australia is looking for employers to host professionals in a range of areas including:

• All sectors of information technology

• Engineering: electrical, Civil, mechanical, water and chemical

• Business, accounting and administration

• Marketing

• Geologist

Flexibility

Dates and duration of work placements are very flexible, and placements can be arranged to suit specific business needs. Employer can offer placements to more than one placement, either at the same time or at different times during the year.

For all enquiries and further information

To find out more about becoming a host employer, call SMP Australia on 08 (0) 430209803 or email info@smpmagazine.com.au to receive the work experience employer form