'Skills gap' and 'Skills shortage' are phrases beloved of the British business press, and were bandied about willy-nilly until knocked off front pages by the new mot du jour, 'credit crunch'.
But out of sight does not mean out of mind, and the Home Office this week announced a new, Australian-style, points system, aimed at plugging those gaps. Designed to attract the 'right sort' of immigrant - skilled, rather than unskilled - the new rules mean that only workers in industries with skill shortages will be allowed in. And while most of us are thinking 'teachers', 'nurses' and 'Tube drivers', it would appear that the UK is lacking in ballet dancers, sheep shearers, frozen fish filleters and racehorse exercisers.
Why the shortages? According to Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National [horse] Trainers Federation, there are not enough native youngsters who are small, light and athletic enough to provide the exercisers needed by the racing industry - and let's be honest, the same probably applies to ballet.
Civil engineers, aircraft component technicians and maths and science teachers are also in short supply.
Under the terms of the scheme, in addition to meeting an identified skills requirement, workers must have English language skills, prospective earnings of £24,000, depending on qualifications, or the offer of a job, and be able to support themselves for the first month.
