Eligibility for the agricultural programme
Many of you have noted that we have modified the eligibility criteria for the Visitoz Agricultural Programme.
This note is intended to clarify the position.
We have recently expressed our preference for young people who have previous education, skills and experience in
- any form of farming
- work with or riding of horses
- outdoors practical work
- trades such as welding, mechanics, building, renovation, plumbing, etc, etc
- use of driven machinery and other outdoor machinery
- childcare
- teaching and tutoring
- cooking / chef work
Young people who have experience in one or more of these areas are most likely to do well here in Australia; these are all useful skills that our employers recognise and value.
However it is not the whole story.
We also welcome applications from young people who have not yet managed to gain such experience. In these cases the application form needs to show us some personal attributes that indicate the ability to apply themselves to a new and challenging work situation and also the resilience to cope with some fairly steep learning curves, significant culture, social and environmental shock; and hard physical work.
For participants over 21 this is not normally a problem, however with younger applicants (18,19,20) we have to put effort in to making sure they have the attitude and aptitude to emerge from our training course ready and willing to be useful and productive for their employer.
The vast majority of the young people our agents send us are capable of succeeding here. However we are finding that our employers are becoming more demanding and also that failed job placements have potential to damage our reputation and employer relationships, so we are focusing our efforts on satisfying employers even more than we have in the past.
We want to raise the quality of the worker so that our business becomes stronger. In practice this means identifying the right participants and preparing them better, whilst turning away the very small percentage who are not likely to succeed or enjoy the experience.
All parts of our system and process have a part to play in this.
1. Agents can
2. Participants can
3. Visitoz is
4. Employers are
We hope you will understand our intention here. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Many of you have noted that we have modified the eligibility criteria for the Visitoz Agricultural Programme.
This note is intended to clarify the position.
We have recently expressed our preference for young people who have previous education, skills and experience in
- any form of farming
- work with or riding of horses
- outdoors practical work
- trades such as welding, mechanics, building, renovation, plumbing, etc, etc
- use of driven machinery and other outdoor machinery
- childcare
- teaching and tutoring
- cooking / chef work
Young people who have experience in one or more of these areas are most likely to do well here in Australia; these are all useful skills that our employers recognise and value.
However it is not the whole story.
We also welcome applications from young people who have not yet managed to gain such experience. In these cases the application form needs to show us some personal attributes that indicate the ability to apply themselves to a new and challenging work situation and also the resilience to cope with some fairly steep learning curves, significant culture, social and environmental shock; and hard physical work.
For participants over 21 this is not normally a problem, however with younger applicants (18,19,20) we have to put effort in to making sure they have the attitude and aptitude to emerge from our training course ready and willing to be useful and productive for their employer.
The vast majority of the young people our agents send us are capable of succeeding here. However we are finding that our employers are becoming more demanding and also that failed job placements have potential to damage our reputation and employer relationships, so we are focusing our efforts on satisfying employers even more than we have in the past.
We want to raise the quality of the worker so that our business becomes stronger. In practice this means identifying the right participants and preparing them better, whilst turning away the very small percentage who are not likely to succeed or enjoy the experience.
All parts of our system and process have a part to play in this.
1. Agents can
- target recruitment based on skill sets as described above;
- screen applications for skills, experience, or EVIDENCE of strong personal attributes and attitude.
2. Participants can
- prepare, practice and up-skill with useful additions to their skill sets before coming to Australia.
3. Visitoz is
- working to provide better pre-sales and pre-departure information about what is required to make a successful working holiday in rural Australia;
- continually refining the training course.
4. Employers are
- regularly briefed by Visitoz about current best practice in providing a productive, meaningful and positive experience for the young people and employers alike.
We hope you will understand our intention here. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
English Language skills
IELTS Equivalent Band
Band 1: Non-user: essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.
Band 2: Intermittent user: no real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
Band 3: Extremely limited user: conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.
Band 4: Limited user: basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.
Band 5: Modest user: has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.
Band 6: Competent user: has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.
Band 7: Good user: has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.
Band 8: Very good user: has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.
Band 9: Expert user: has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.
IELTS Equivalent Band
Band 1: Non-user: essentially has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few isolated words.
Band 2: Intermittent user: no real communication is possible except for the most basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Has great difficulty understanding spoken and written English.
Band 3: Extremely limited user: conveys and understands only general meaning in very familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur.
Band 4: Limited user: basic competence is limited to familiar situations. Has frequent problems in understanding and expression. Is not able to use complex language.
Band 5: Modest user: has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make many mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field.
Band 6: Competent user: has generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations.
Band 7: Good user: has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. Generally handles complex language well and understands detailed reasoning.
Band 8: Very good user: has fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well.
Band 9: Expert user: has fully operational command of the language: appropriate, accurate and fluent with complete understanding.
This chart may help you to assess the language skills of your applicant. You can download it below.
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