Special seminar on skilled migration for Griffith employers

The seminar will be setting up at the Griffith Leagues Club on March 13, running from 10am to 12.30pm with an aim to help employers understand the skilled migration pathways available to workers.

Speakers from the state government, federal government, Griffith City Council and RDA Riverina will outline the state of the Griffith workforce at present before explaining the skilled migration visas.

President of the Griffith Business Chamber John Nikolic said that he hoped the seminar would help address the worker shortage across Griffith - and encouraged business owners to have their voice heard at the event.

"The biggest constraint on Griffith's growth is a lack of workers. There's been a lot of noise at the federal level regarding that and the immigration system," he said.

"We hope it will put employers in the best position they can be to take advantage of the existing immigration system and it's an opportunity for lobbying. We definitely encourage them to come along and learn, as well as make their voices heard".

Mr Nikolic added that the chamber was still hoping to hear a response from Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles regarding a proposal to get Griffith included in the Orana Designated Area Migration Agreement.

"We've been pushing for a Designated Area Migration Agreement so we can get people in on visas for the occupations we need locally, rather than what's needed in the urban areas," he said.

"We'd like an answer on that".

The DAMA would help Griffith bring in specific workers including farmhands and farm managers, providing a unique skilled migration list to address Griffith's particular shortages instead of general Australian shortages.

Registration for the event is available at events.humanitix.com/regional-business-and-skilled-migration-events-griffith.