Guest speakers at the ECCOSE Settling in Victoria forum were (front from left) Elena Ilyin, Rajan Arulanantham, Sam Afra, Amanda Baldwin and Roxanne Walker from skilled migration employment programs, with members of local ethnic groups who attended the forum.THE Ethnic Communities Council of the South East (ECCOSE) will work towards improving qualification recognition among skilled overseas immigrants.
The council held a forum titled Settling in Victoria in partnership with the Chisholm Institute last week.
ECCOSE chairman Sam Afra said the halfday forum was an outstanding success.
“We had wide participation from new, emerging and settled communities as well as service providers and social and settlement workers from across Melbourne’s south east,” he said.
Government representatives from the Department of Immigration spoke about the skilled migration program and other employment programs.
“Elena Ilyin from the State Overseas Qualification Recognition Unit spoke at the forum about the best approach and the best way to deal with overseas qualification recognition,” Mr Afra said.
A City of Greater Dandenong survey found the migrant community represented an untapped skill base, and the council has also contacted the State and Federal Governments in a bid to improve qualification recognition.
