Success Story - Nova Takes Flight with the 457 Visa
Specialists in aerospace technology are a rare breed of people. People trained to test and evaluate the highly complex systems used by the Australia Defence Force (ADF) are exceptionally rare, like Doug Friend, a helicopter-test engineer specialising in structures.
It costs millions of dollars to train a test pilot and almost as much for a flight-test engineer.
This kind of training isn't done in Australia but the country needs these people. Nova Defence recognises this need and is attracting highly qualified people, including Doug, from around the world to work, particularly in the defence industry.
Nova is a young company, started six years ago by Jim Whalley and Peter Nikoloff, who both have specialised skills developed within the ADF flight test community. It is based at the Salisbury defence complex, adjacent to the Edinburgh base north of Adelaide.
Jim and Peter recognised a need for independent contractors to provide unbiased test support and advice to the ADF and started the company with just themselves as employees. Six years later Nova employs almost 80 people, and approximately 80 per cent of the company's work still involves defence.
Nova has hired a UK flight test engineer and a systems safety expert from Italy, a Canadian flight test engineer, a British weapons specialist, a Canadian electronic-warfare test specialist, a PhD level specialist in aerodynamics from the United Kingdom and an airborne self-protection specialist from the United States of America.
All came to Australia on temporary business (long stay) subclass 457 visas.
'The 457 visas enable us to get these people here quickly, otherwise we could not do it,' Jim said.
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, said temporary skilled migrants played a vital role in the Australian economy.
'Not only do overseas skilled workers like Doug help business and industry meet their labour needs, they play a critical role in supporting and training young workers.'
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