A food manufacturer in Queensland has established its own English language school to help fill skills gaps at its Australian facilities.
In what is believed to be a national first for an employer, JBS Foods Australia — the country’s largest meat and food processing company — applied to become an Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) provider to offer bespoke English language courses for international workers at its Dinmore processing facility in Ipswich near Brisbane.
The self-funded global talent program involves welcoming to Australia in-demand skilled meat workers on student visas from Brazil, home to JBS Foods’ origins.
“With the significant and ongoing labour shortages here in Australia, we've been working with our counterparts in Brazil for a number of years to try to fill some of our specialist roles,” Group Manager for Talent Acquisition Jackson Hewitt, pictured, far right, said.
“The major hurdle has always been the English language barrier.”
The JBS English Academy welcomed its first 14 students in March, with a second cohort of 16 commencing last month. Future intakes are under consideration.
It’s taken more than two years to get to this stage.
Online courses had been trialled in Brazil but didn’t meet students’ needs.
“As you can imagine, online learning is challenging when you’re working fulltime,” Mr Hewitt said.
“On top of that, many had limited internet access and long commutes. These factors all make it difficult to find uninterrupted time to focus and learn online.”
Other solutions were considered.
“We brought a few workers on student visas into our pork processing facility in Melbourne,” Mr Hewitt said.
“That was through an external English language school. It was a valuable initial approach and provided helpful insights, but it also highlighted opportunities to further improve the experience for students.
“We identified ways we could better support them, particularly in reducing travel requirements and tailoring the curriculum more closely to their needs.
“We thought: ‘We can do this more effectively ourselves, so through our RTO (Registered Training Organisation), we applied to become part of the ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) system to be able to teach students ourselves.
“It meant we could provide them with tailored English learning while offering them continued employment in their specialist roles.”
The idea for the JBS English Academy was conceived a couple of years ago, with the past 12 months focused on bringing it to life through ELICOS approval, recruitment, visa processing and travel arrangements for the students.
Classes comprise students at similar competency levels, with work rosters structured around their class times.
While the program currently focuses on skilled meat workers from Brazil, the goal is to expand it to welcome JBS workers from other countries and occupations.
“We want it to be available to all,” Mr Hewitt said.
It’s been a tremendous opportunity for the chosen team members, who have all been working at JBS for at least a year and have at least two years’ experience in their specialist field.
“Arriving in a far-off place like Australia was exciting for them,” Mr Hewitt said.
“Many hadn’t left Brazil, let alone the continent. They arrived with a lot of enthusiasm and are settling in well, enjoying the classes, the work and the Australian culture.
“They’re working in the same specialist roles they held in Brazil but in a different environment under different conditions, while also learning about Australia and sharing their own culture with us.
“They’re studying on a 12-month student visa to develop their English language skills, which will open up future opportunities — whether that’s in Brazil, Australia or across our operations in the US, Canada, Mexico and in the UK.
“Once they reach the required English language standard, they are well positioned to pursue skilled roles globally.
“It’s all about rewarding people who are highly committed and performing well.”
Workers in the program are required to complete at least 20 contact hours of class time a week and can work up to 48 hours a fortnight.
They typically work three shifts one week and two the next on a rotating two-week roster, with classes scheduled primarily on alternate days.
“We appreciate it’s a lot,” Mr Hewitt said.
“We've tried to make it as convenient as possible to maximise their chance of success. We’ve arranged accommodation that’s just a few minutes’ walk from their workplace, and the school is located on site.”
The goal is for the students to achieve fluency in conversational English.
“It is not just about passing an English assessment, it’s about equipping students with the level of English needed to communicate effectively, not only professionally but across all environments,” Mr Hewitt said.
JBS hired an English language teacher to help set up the program, create a bespoke curriculum and lead the classes.
As well as demonstrating skill and occupational experience, international students seeking opportunities in Australia or around the globe need to meet similar English language standards.
“It’s not just about filling labour shortages, it's about providing opportunities for people who otherwise wouldn’t have them,” Mr Hewitt said.
“They’ve put in the hard work and shown their commitment to the business.
“Why not create a program like this to reward those who are committed to development and learning?
“It strengthens our workforce while creating real opportunities for our people. It’s a win for our business and for our people.”
JBS Foods Australia has been a member of Australian Industry Group since 2019
Got a Member Story to share? Contact our Communications Manager, Wendy Larter
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at Australian Industry Group.
A former journalist for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK, she is passionate about giving businesses a voice.
