Northlanders seeking work in Western Australian mines are being advised to undertake training in New Zealand before heading across the ditch.
More than 2000 Northlanders attended two Reciprocus Recruitment seminars in Ruakaka and Kaikohe a year ago, but have had little work due to what the recruitment company says is an industry "bottleneck".
To increase their chance of work in Australia Reciprocus is now advising Northlanders to seek accreditation training for mines before they leave.
The company is flying two trainers in from Australia, to help run sessions that will cost individuals $900 to $1800, but will give them a basic understanding of the skill levels that mines in Western Australia are satisfied with, and health and safety rules.
The accreditation is compulsory in Australia, and Northlanders will save money by doing the training here, Reciprocus says.