The road towards overseas job opportunities seems brighter than ever for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) even as the world is feeling the effects of the financial crisis.

Queensland, an Australian province is another viable destination for OFWs as their aging population creates a problem of labor shortage. According to the institute director of the Metropolitan South Institute of Technical and Further Education, Linda Brown, Queensland would need around 120,000 skilled workers by 2010.

In a press conference held at the Laguna Garden café, Linda Brown said, “Our community is getting older. We have an aging population. In 2015, there will be more people over 50 (years old) than those under 25 years old.”

Brown is part of the Queensland, Australia Vocational Education and Training (VET) delegation. Last month, their group went to Cebu and presented to representatives from the government and educational institutions employment opportunities available in Australia. 

According to Katherine Marnane, VET export office director, Queensland USD170 billion worth of investments over the next 18 years would entail the need for more workers. Some of the projects would be in the industry of transport and freighting, information and communication technology, and industry development.

Queensland would also need to hire foreign workers for the following industry:

tourism and hospitality, business, accounting, hairdressing, and health and community services.

For the recruitment of workers, the VET export office partnered with Charlton Brown, an education provider and agency based in Australia.

The Australian agency then partnered with a training center in the Philippines, Integrated Learning (IL) Institute. The IL Institute is tasked to prepare Filipinos who wants to be employed in Australia and have the opportunity for a permanent residency status.

According to Jerry Perez de Tagle, president of the IL Institute, a three-month elderly care and community services is one of the courses a Filipino student can enroll to.

IL Institute president said, “While they are studying, our partner, Charlton Brown, will help process their visa requirements. It will also help place students in jobs once they arrive in Australia.”

He added, “They will come in with a student visa. In Australia, Filipinos can still continue their studies for two years while earning income from working.”

Students who have completed two years of study will be given a Diploma in Community Service and a professional working visa. They will be also be allowed to work for one year and a half.

De Tagle said, “By then, you will then be eligible for permanent residency. This process could even be done within the fastest period of three and a half years.”