Re: China (our jobs market opened up)
A very interesting article in today's independent
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[font=Arial, Verdana, Arial]Jobs market opens up in bid to lure Chinese professionals[/font][font=Verdana, Arial]
THE Irish jobs market is to be opened up to Chinese graduates in a landmark qualifications recognition deal.
The move is likely to lead to a stream of qualified Chinese workers arriving in search of jobs across the full spectrum including health, law and administration. Irish graduates will enjoy the same privileges in China.
The deal is the first such mutual agreement, outside certain European countries, on the recognition of international higher level qualifications.
In keeping with normal practice, where appropriate, the graduates would have to satisfy requirements of professional bodies, such as the Irish Medical Council, in areas such as language and specific forms of professional training.
The decision, which comes into effect early next year, was announced yesterday by the Higher Education Training and Awards Council (HETAC) and follows an agreement signed by the Irish and Chinese governments, during a visit by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to China in January.
HETAC chief executive Séamus Puirseil said: "When we invite people to work in Ireland, we have a moral and legal obligation to recognise their qualifications."
He said the Irish were treated with great generosity of spirit when they went abroad to live and work and now there was an obligation on us to show the same generosity to the thousands of workers who were coming here.
"The new entrants to our workforce from overseas are a valuable asset to our economy and society. But they must not be confined to menial or low level jobs when they have qualifications that will increase their earning potential and career development.
"HETAC, in cooperation with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), is working on mutual recognition agreements with a number of European countries and it is likely that there will be demand for similar deals from outside Europe."
There are no figures for the number of Chinese graduates currently here, but there has been a huge influx of Chinese in recent years.
There has been a steady growth in visa applications from Chinese, with 5,000 of 13,800 applications approved last year, up from 3,500 approvals, out of 5,600 applications in 2002.
The Chinese represent the biggest single group (13pc) of international students here. While the majority are studying at undergraduate level, 11pc are postgraduates and so, under the new agreement, would possess the necessary qualifications to work here.
John Carr, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation said the announcement would be seen as hollow by many teachers from all over the world whose qualifications had not been recognised.
"Some of the most qualified teachers in the world have sought employment here and have been frustrated by rules and regulations that are insular in the extreme. Some have been refused recognition while other highly trained professionals are paid an "untrained" rate"
If this happened in France there would be uproar the whole country would go on strike. It is amazing that Irish people are oblivious to what is going on and are sleep walking into the future. There are decisions being made today which are going to have monumental effects on their future. We have seen the depressing effect that China has had on wages in the manufacturing sector. Now the same thing is going to happen to the professions. On the one hand the government lectures people about the importance of upskilling and then on the other hand it increases the competition for those higher skilled jobs. The only gainers will be landowners and property developers.
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