In response to industry-wide skills shortages and members’ calls for action, the MTA WA recently embarked on an international recruitment mission to attract British and Irish skilled migrants to automotive vacancies in Western Australia.
To maximise exposure, the MTA WA worked with the WA state government to time the mission with a ministerial trade delegation to the UK and Ireland.
Specifically, the mission’s objectives were to:
- Raise awareness of Western Australia’s automotive industry’s demand for skilled professionals from the United Kingdom and Ireland
- Showcase WA and the lifestyle benefits it can offer
- Raise the profile of the MTA WA internationally
- Encourage qualified jobseekers to register their interest on the newly developed autojobsaustralia.com website.
The MTA WA launched its ‘Say G’day to WA’ digital advertising campaign before the delegation left Australia, which positioned the state as “the ideal place to both live and work in the trade” by highlighting the state’s economic and lifestyle benefits.
“Launching in the middle of the UK and Ireland’s cold, miserable winter, the creative concept directly addressed a subconscious desire for warm weather by showcasing some of WA’s most iconic, blue-skied destinations,” said the association. “Following the campaign launch, the MTA WA delegation visited the UK and Ireland in February and March, speaking with prospective migrants, hosting information sessions, generating media attention, and establishing connections with local automotive recruitment agencies.
The delegation also completed several joint activities with the state government, including attending the UK’s largest job fair in Bristol and engaging with prospective migrants and the media at ‘pub takeovers’ in London, Dublin, and Edinburgh.
According to the MTA WA, these efforts proved successful in generating awareness, with the association featured in several national UK publications and on broadcasts including the BBC News, The Sunday Times, and Good Morning Britain. “Most critically, the mission has highlighted that international automotive workers are, in fact, interested in the opportunities available in Western Australia. This was reflected by the 16,241 visits to the autojobsaustralia.com website recorded over the mission’s three-week duration,” said the MTA WA.
“The decision to relocate to the other side of the world is not one that can be taken lightly. For this reason, it is pleasing to see that prospective migrants are promptly acting on their interest to migrate. There are currently 202 job seekers registered on the website, a number that continues to increase daily. The MTA WA has built the foundations to enable skilled migrants to apply for members’ advertised positions which should lead to a continual flow of candidates for participating members to consider.”
While the association described the initial results as promising, visa processing times and the logistics of relocating will determine how long it will take skilled migrants to start their new lives in Australia.
“The MTA WA is continuing to work with immigration specialists Perdaman Global Services in the meantime to validate applications and provide participating members with a pool of pre-screened, visa-eligible candidates,” said the MTA WA. “The association will leave no stone unturned in its attempt to assist members in navigating the current global skills shortage. Many valuable insights were gained from the mission, and the MTA WA looks forward to using this intelligence to inform future activities.”