Pilbara iron ore expansion project benefits from overseas labour pool

ISA Group’s thorough approach to offshore recruitment paid off recently when it established a pool of 110 ‘work ready’ candidates for a major Australian iron ore expansion project.

Using a Labour Agreement, ISA Group was contracted to identify a pool of candidates that the project’s sub-contractors could draw upon throughout the life of the project.

The project owner was so impressed with the results that it has asked ISA Group to provide a similar service for future projects.

To ensure the calibre of candidates matched the requirements of the project, ISA Group put a number of other steps in place to ensure that candidates were able to ‘hit the ground’ running once they arrived in Australia.

“Recruiting workers from overseas is a complex process, and unsuspecting employers can be caught out if they aren’t aware of the pitfalls,” said ISA Group director Jackie Hill.

The days of recruiting from CVs with some reference checking is no longer a way of ensuring that “who you recruit is in fact who you get”, particularly when it comes to overseas recruitment according to Jackie.

Candidates were initially short-listed on the basis of CVs and preliminary English tests. If a candidate made it through these initial stages, they proceeded to practical skills testing undertaken in the Philippines by an Australian registered training organisation (RTO) to a level equivalent to an Australian qualification.

“Without all the steps we have put in place in the Philippines, it is possible that a candidate’s shortcomings would only come to light after lengthy and costly interviews, visa processing process and relocation stages,” said Jackie.

The depth of services provided by ISA Group also ensured successful candidates were well looked after when they arrived in Australia.

“Our people have the expertise to coordinate the logistics of welcoming overseas workers and ensuring they are well prepared to work and live in Australia by taking care of details such as opening bank accounts and arranging health cover and tax numbers,” said Jackie.

“This project is a great example of how the ISA Group can deliver an excellent outcome for both the client and recruits” she said.