Aviation Labour Group secures government deal

The first aviation-based On-Hire Labour Agreement has been granted by the Federal Government to Aviation Labour Group (ALG), allowing them to bring skilled overseas aircraft maintenance engineers into Australia.

ALG Managing Director Commercial, Mark Dowdall, said that following negotiations with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, ALG had been awarded a three-year On-Hire Labour Agreement which authorises the company to directly employ the workers it recruits, and to place them on assignment with other employers.

“This new Agreement is an important milestone for the industry because it enables us to meet the industry skills shortage of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers identified by the Federal Government’s Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL),” Dowdall said.

ALG, a specialist recruiter of avionic, mechanical and structural engineers already has major contracts in place for military and commercial aircraft maintenance projects throughout Australia, Asia and the South Pacific with major international and national airlines and MROs.

Mark Dowdall said over the next three years ALG would bolster the number of skilled trades people working on projects across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

“New growth areas such as the integration of aircraft mechanical and electronic components and advanced avionics (diagnostics) systems can now be developed domestically.

“By building Australia’s competencies in these emerging areas, we can build competitive advantage in aircraft maintenance and through-life logistics and at the same time ensure the continued high level of flight safety across the industry.”

Dowdall said that the labour agreement secures ALG’s position as being a main provider of skilled aviation engineers for large aviation contracts throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“The authorisation clears the way for us to establish our own pool of skilled employees for hire and relieving the aviation companies of the administrative burden involved in directly employing temporary resident workers – something we have found employers are happy to hand over without losing skills.”

The On-Hire Labour Agreement will operate for three years and sets out the terms and conditions relating to both the engagement and employment of skilled overseas workers secured for temporary stay in Australia.

It builds on the Federal Government’s former Subclass 457 standard business sponsorship program under which ALG sourced overseas aircraft engineers with technical and training expertise across many aircraft types.

To ensure the Australian aviation industry’s current and future needs can be addressed, ALG has also formed partnerships with aviation maintenance training centres to provide input into their quality training programs.