A warm welcome in Birchip

3 min read
November 16, 2023
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A warm welcome in Birchip - Image 1

Chaitra and Shiva outside the Buloke Shire Council offices

Drawn to Australia after holidaying here several times, Shivaprasad (Shiva) Holagundi has found career progression, community and lifestyle in country Birchip. Nestled in Victoria’s stunning Mallee region, Birchip is home to the famous Mallee Bull, a vibrant street-art trail, one of Australia’s best vanilla slices and some very glorious sunsets. With a population of just on 700 people it’s quite the contrast from Shiva’s childhood home in Davanagere, India, a town of a similar size but home to around 435,000.

As a civil engineer, access to career opportunities in his field were key to Shiva’s decision to move regionally. After initially settling in Packenham on Melbourne’s outskirts, he’d had trouble securing a role that aligned with his significant professional experience. He’d been working as a construction assistant since his arrival but wasn’t comfortable working outside his professional field. It’s at this point he was connected with, a social impact organisation who specialise in regional recruitment.

They worked with him to understand his career goals and lifestyle preferences, then matched him with Buloke Shire Council who were seeking a new Capital Projects Officer. Shiva is very much enjoying his new role and the broader workplace which he says is a very positive environment.

Work + Stay also worked with the local real estate community to source accommodation for Shiva in the tight regional rental market. The community is keenly aware of the pressing need for infrastructure professionals like Shiva to support their region’s needs and they were very supportive in helping him find his new home.

More happy news was on the way. After a couple of months settling into his new home Shiva travelled back to India to marry Chaitra, and they returned to Birchip to start their married life together. Both Chaitra and Shiva have formed strong connections in their new community – Shiva says Chaitra already has more friends than he does! A keen sportsperson, Chaitra played State-level badminton in Bangalore and is a fixture at Birchip’s Monday-night indoor sports competition, with Shiva joining her there. Chaitra has also quickly secured a role with a local accounting firm.

Local community organisation Birchip Neighbourhood House have been instrumental in helping Chaitra and Shiva connect into their new community. Work + Stay’s unique community connection model sees them create partnerships with community organisations in each community they place candidates in. These organisations then work directly with newcomers to welcome and support them. For Chaitra and Shiva this meant sharing community meals and attending workshops at Birchip Neighbourhood House, the heart of the community and a thriving hub for people across the area.

Shiva and Chaitra say they have received a very warm welcome. “The Birchip community has been very welcoming and I want to deliver back to the community with my services,” Shiva said when speaking to the Buloke Times recently. “I don’t understand why more qualified workers don’t move to regional areas to take up employment opportunities. Many of them have pre-conceived ideas that rural communities are… not welcoming, but they need to come and see for themselves because we have not found that at all; everyone has been very welcoming.”

Kate Sowden, Executive Director – Work + Stay

Regional employers: send an email to info@workandstay.com.au

Candidates: register as a candidate at www.workandstay.com.au or send an email to info@workandstay.com.au

Introductory Blog – Work + Stay

3 min read
November 2, 2023
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At Work + Stay we are very proud to be supporting regional growth by connecting people with career opportunities in vibrant towns and cities across Australia’s regions. We know that driving regional growth is absolutely critical to ensuring our country thrives into the future. Regional workforce shortages are at critical levels with tens of thousands of jobs available in regional Australia. As of July 2023 there were 90k+ roles on offer, equating to $1.7 billion in untapped wages. These opportunities are available in some of our country’s most beautiful locations and employers are hugely keen to fill them.

With a 100% increase in job vacancies since 2019, there is a strong need for people across all sectors. Our regions offer exciting, professional roles that present real opportunities for career progression alongside some very enticing rural lifestyles.

As a social enterprise we are wholly committed to supporting the sustainable growth of regional communities through our unique recruitment and community connection offering. We connect professionals across Australia with exciting roles in regional towns and cities, and provide specialist settling-in support to ensure they form lasting connections in their new communities. We work predominately in the engineering space, a sector where there are significant job vacancies and a pressing need for skilled infrastructure professionals driven by widespread workforce shortages and recent flood and fire events.

Alongside helping with the logistics of a regional move, including housing, we work very closely with our candidates to ensure they are connected into their new communities, and enjoy smooth, sustainable transitions to regional living.

To do this we create partnerships with community organisations in every town we place candidates in. These organisations then work directly with newcomers to help them make social connections and settle into regional life. Many regional towns have a huge focus on inclusivity and connection for everyone who lives there, and we have seen an incredible commitment to ensure all new community members are welcomed and supported.

This has been reflected in the exceptional feedback we have received from candidates and employers. Our candidates say they have felt warmly welcomed and that our highly personalised approach has meant that their moves have been great experiences. Our employers say that our community connection offering is a real point of difference and has been critical in helping their new employees quickly integrate into regional living.

I have been fortunate to travel to many beautiful corners of the country in the course of our work. Every time I set out I’m reminded of just how much is on offer outside our metro centres. From bustling regional cities to quaint historical towns, rolling farmland, dramatic seascapes or the classic Australian bush there really is something for everyone. The lifestyle opportunities are amazing, the communities are thriving and there is much more going on than you might think!

We are very grateful for the Regional Australia Institute’s support in giving us the opportunity to share our work with their readers. Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing real stories of people who’ve made the move, and are loving it. You’ll hear from Shiva and Chaitra in Birchip, Brett in Cobar, and Asad and Sana in Warren. These are just some of the families who have taken up opportunities to live and work in our regional towns and cities. These opportunities are ever-growing and we are delighted to be collaborating with forward-thinking organisations like the RAI who are working to amplify the immense potential that lies within our regions.

We welcome contact from regional employers seeking infrastructure staff, and from engineering professionals who are thinking of a regional move. While career opportunities are available to all engineers, Work + Stay offers specialist advocacy and recruitment support for overseas qualified engineers. If this is you then we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out using the details below.