In August 2006, the Board considered the issue of supporting ESITO Members who use skilled migrant labour and asked ESITO management to investigate.

The key question of what role, if any, ESITO should play in supporting ESI to successfully implement the “Buy” strategy was addressed in the context of ESITO’s role in all three strategies “Make, Fix and Buy”.

In February 2007, the Board approved an action plan which included undertaking a survey of employers and skilled migrant labour to identify needs of the skilled migrant labour force and their employers and in October 2008 the survey was conducted by Gary Nicol Associates. The attached paper is a result of this research.

The research targeted the following areas:

• qualification recognition and expectations
• workplace induction
• cultural/social induction and support
• satisfaction levels
• retention

Research to identify and remedy barriers to learning and participation in industry training for skilled migrants was carried out by ESITO with funding from the Tertiary Education Commission.

We contacted companies which employed skilled migrants and asked them to help identify suitable candidates to take part in the project.

Each trainee was invited to a face-to-face meeting aimed at helping us to better understand what it is like to be a skilled migrant in the New Zealand Electricity Supply Industry.

They were asked about any obstacles they had overcome and barriers they faced. We tried to arrange the conversations at times that would not impact on work commitments.

This body of research was facilitated by Gary Nicol and Associates www.garynicol.net and interviews began in September 2008.

For more information, please contact the Industry Standards and Development Manager at dougp@esito.org.nz .