Good English is essential for Engineering Jobs In Australia
Latest news as to why good English is essential for Landing an engineering job in Australia.
The Australian newspaper reported today April 29
‘TENS of thousands of skilled migrants from countries such as China and India are struggling to find professional jobs in Australia, says a new report. Despite the nation’s acute skills shortage, employers are shunning the new arrivals because of their poor English, according to the Monash University study.
Report authors Bob Birrell and Ernest Healy, from Monash’s Centre for Population and Urban Research, said Australia’s massive skilled migration program was failing to solve the job shortage.
The authors said that the main problem in finding professional jobs was poor English skills, but the program was dominated by migrants from non-English-speaking backgrounds.”
The following is an extract about the importance of good English to get an engineering job in Australia taken from the book Project Australia: Land That Engineering Job in Australia by Ian Little
Australian language
To obtain an engineering job in Australia and keep it, you must be able to understand what is written or being said by people you are working with. You must also be able to communicate to others the results of your work. If you can’t communicate effectively in English, you will not be able to get an engineering job in Australia. Unless you can afford to spend a year or more developing your English after you have landed in Australia, preparation before you board a plane is a cost-effective investment.
Overseas students studying in Australia need to take the opportunity to develop their language skills so their written and spoken Australian is fluent; equal to an Australian. Overseas students are competing directly with Australians when applying for graduate positions. Employers will not accept poor Australian language if you have studied in Australia. Overseas students must avoid the trap of staying within the comfort of their own nationality group and speaking minimal Australian.
Improving your language skills to Land That Engineering Job in Australia
There are two aspects to building your Australian Engineering language skill: spoken and written. The relative ability you need will depend on the engineering field you are looking to work in. As a minimum, you will need:
• Everyday language for getting around
• Technical terms as used by Australians in your discipline
Chapter 5 provides a number of ways to help you improve your Australian English. You will need to get out of your comfort zone to develop good English communication skills, essential for you to be successful as an Australian Engineer.
This post includes extracts taken from Project Australia: Land That Engineering Job in Australia by Ian Little due for publication May 2008
©Ian Little. All rights reserved, no part of this may be reproduced without permission rights from the publisher. Contact us www.tribuslingua.com.au
Read more of Ian’s advice:
Dear Sir Or Madam,
I am a 26-year-old civil engineer from Iran,working for the railway organisation.Actually I am not fully experienced as an engineer but fluent in written and spoken English as an F.C.E holder and an English teacher.Could you please inform me whether or not I would have any chance to get a proper job in Australia.I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours Faithfully
Ashkan – You really need to have some years of engineering experience to be able to complete a competency demonstration report (CDR). With the development of rail infrastructure in Australia there is likely to be growing opportunities.