Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is a concept that benefits those who are not willing to attend regular classes and acquire the qualifications pertaining to their field of work. There is a rise in the number of people who start work at earlier stages owing to their circumstances. However, many times with the competitive work environment and the challenges that come along with it, they need to have valid qualifications to go up on their career ladder. Recognition of Prior Learning comes to the rescue of such individuals. McKkr’s can help you by providing you an acknowledgement of the skills that you already possess. Individuals who have gained experience through work and have acquired all the necessary skills related to their field of work, but do not bear any qualification for the same benefit through the Recognition of Prior Learning programme in particular. You need not worry about attending lectures on something you already know or completing those assignments in order to go through the complete training program. McKkr’s shall assess the knowledge and skills that you possess and accredit your qualifications on the basis of what you have learnt already. The best part about the RPL programme is that it is not restricted to any particular age. It can be acquired by anyone at any stage of their lives. Recognition of Prior Learning is a fast-track way to climb up the ladder of success and a ray of hope for those who due to any circumstances, could not pursue the qualifications that were required to do the type of work that they wish to and can. There are standards set by the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) that facilitate the process of Recognition of Prior Learning. McKkr’s Pty. Ltd., works as per the guidelines, standards and criterion laid down by AQF and ensures an ethical and transparency in the RPL assessment process. The process of assessment at McKkr’s includes a detailed analysis of the résumé, a complete assessment of work-related knowledge, job-related tasks and work references. After completion of the RPL programme, the student shall receive a proper qualification certificate on the basis of the assessment carried out.
Internships are a great learning experience for students and help by providing exposure to them at a young age. Internships are a great way to start your career and gain practical knowledge of the field that you are studying in. Besides, it helps you to collect some extra pocket money to pay your expenses. Internships are beneficial for employers too, because they can avail cheap and competent labour. The employer would otherwise have to hire some professional at a higher salary. Just some training is all that interns require and the young students are fresh and young to learn all that is taught to them. An internship allows students to explore different kinds of work-roles and gain an overall idea of how a workplace functions and they can prepare themselves for the challenges to come, in future. Internships expose students to situations that help in building of leadership and personality skills. Apart from the above, the students find it easier to find jobs, if they have had a work or internship experience. From the point of view of employers, it helps them to get a smart and young workforce which can really contribute to a rise in the productivity of the company. Many employers end up having long-term relations with their interns as they find them fit to work as an employee for their company. For attaining any short-term goals that the company is looking to fulfil, for example raising the sales in a quarter; internships can provide the best source to achieve such targets. For students, internships act as a quick source of income and a great learning experience. Internships help students to become more confident before they step in to the actual work-life. Students are ready to try new things and so, they are perfect for performing all kinds of work for the organisation. It helps students to become aware of the types of organisations and the type of career they would wish to step in to. So, internships bring out the talent in young college students and make for easy, short-term employees for organisations.
Australia has emerged as the hub for generation of employment opportunities. But, what is being observed over time is the rising competition for occupying jobs and the shortage of skilled manpower. So it has become increasingly important for candidates looking for jobs to be skilled and perfect in their respective fields. Skills can be acquired through TAFE- which is the largest provider of Vocational Educational and Training (VET). Sills add value to an individual’s personality, help in personal growth and give you an edge over the rest. It is important to work on one’s skills because of the following reasons: IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY: Skills help workers to work with efficiency and thereby, yield more productivity to the given task. You become well aware of working styles, environment and are able to put in more efforts to the given task. ELIMINATING UNEMPLOYMENT: Skill development is unavoidable if we wish to achieve full employment in the economy because to be employed, it is imperative to be skilled. SAVES TIME: Acquiring skills guarantees saving of time because skilled personnel have complete knowledge about the job-process and they work effectively to complete their job in the stipulated time. ENHANCES OVERALL PERSONALITY: The process of acquiring skills is not restricted to job-related activities, it also extends to overall development in personality, enhancing communication skills, work-related behaviour, etc. SPECIFIC AREA OF WORK: Undergoing Vocational Training and other similar processes can help one to define a limited area of work. They are able to pursue a career in a field that interests them. EASIER TO FIND JOBS: Candidates may find it easier to look for work according to their defined area of specialisation, instead of scanning all the available jobs in a broad undefined manner. COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE: Possessing skills boosts an individual’s confidence as they have overall knowledge about the field in which they specialise. Therefore, it distinguishes their identity. ADDRESSING THE REQUIREMENT FOR SKILLED LABOUR: Recently, there has been a fall in the skilled labour available in Australia and so, in order to help the nation to prosper and tread on a successful path, the workers have to be skilled. In order to develop a harmonious work environment and better citizens of the country, development of skilled personal is extremely important.
Every employer is searching for the right candidate who fulfils all the requirements of the employer. But, how would an employee make out what the prospective employer wants? We try to bridge the gap between candidates looking for jobs in Australia and the prospective employers. We give you an idea of how to prepare yourself for the next job interview so that you crack it: Résumé The most important document that you need to prepare for your interview is your résumé. The résumé should act as a mirror of your personality, your achievements and it should bear all the necessary information related to you. Also, before you go for the interview with the employer, whether online, over the phone or on-site, you need to familiarise yourself with every single word that you have put down on your résumé. You need to have a justification for everything that you have written there. Read about the company The next thing that impresses the employer is the fact that the employee is aware of the company, what it works for and other related information before joining the company. It depicts that you are genuinely interested in the job. Also, understand the role that you are being hired for and know how you would contribute to the organisation. Establish a professional connection Set up a professional background before you apply for work, or at least before you go for the interview. Employers like to know about the applicants and their professional background through portals like LinkedIn. Punctuality Reaching the venue of the interview in time helps you to build a good impression on the employer. You can prepare yourself well mentally if you reach before time. Confidence When the employer puts any questions before you, the tough ones in particular, they are basically observing the amount of confidence you project while answering them. They may not be interested in your answers but want to be sure that you can take on challenges. Formal Dress code and posture It goes without saying that prospective employers expect a certain degree of professionalism and seriousness towards the job. So, a well-dressed candidate earns some bonus points at the time of selection. The employee must also maintain a good body-language and avoid giving any wrong or misleading signs.
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.