THE NEW MOVE APPLICATION PROCESS The application process for New Move involved three elements : submission of an EOI , attendance at the Famil weekend ( or virtual Famil ), and a video pitch submission . The submission of a 2 – 5-minute video pitch , together with the applicant ’ s LinkedIn page was used by the City of Newcastle to assess suitability and determine applicant success against the five selection criteria .
THE NEW MOVE MARKETING CAMPAIGN The marketing and media campaign resulted in 465 expressions of interest and 7.5 million impressions . The Famil yielded over 220 registrations ( n = 187 for the live Famil and n = 37 for the virtual Famil ). Subsequently , 69 video submissions were received , with 40 applications proceeding through to shortlisting , and 30 applicants being selected to receive the grant and participate in the program .
Given the relative novelty of these schemes , there are limited critical perspectives on whether these examples have achieved their aims . Some key lessons that can be drawn include :
• Talent retention is as important as talent attraction
• Talent attraction schemes must clearly define and target potential migrants
• Talent attraction schemes do not operate in isolation . They must consider the impact on local communities and work collaboratively with economic development strategies to grow local talent .
EVALUATION OF NEW MOVE The New Move program included a marketing campaign , a competitive selection process , and a live Famil weekend event . The Famil ( short for familiarisation ) provided applicants with a bespoke orientation to the city through a range of facilitated events to showcase the city , its business ecosystem and lifestyle . In addition to the relocation grant , the program also included 12 months of free access to co-working spaces and their associated networks and events , along with a tailored community program of ongoing networking and support provided by the City of Newcastle .
Stage 1 of the evaluation considered the marketing campaign , the Famil events , and the selection process .
The evaluation methodology included :
• A co-designed program logic evaluation framework
• Desktop research on migration , economic development , and talent attraction initiatives
• Evidence for Stage 1 included a desktop review of a random sample of the expressions of interest ( EOIs ); observation of a selection of the Famil events and walk-up interviews with participants during these events ; observation of the final EOI assessment panel ; a survey of potential and selected EOI participants ( n = 113 ); and interviews with key City of Newcastle staff and Newcastle innovation ecosystem leaders .
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST RECEIVED Of the 465 EOI applications , 55 % were male , 41 % female , 1 % as other and 3 % preferred not to say . 39 % were 25-34 years old and 36 % were 35-44 years old . Occupations included managers ( n = 59 ), directors ( n = 30 ), people working as engineers ( n = 26 ), people working in marketing ( n = 23 ), teachers ( n = 19 ), specialists ( n = 15 ), consultants ( n = 16 ), and designers ( n = 14 ). 59 % of applicants were creative , knowledge-based workers or entrepreneurs and 11 % were key workers . 1 , 8 EOIs came from all states and territories of Australia , with 60 % of applications from NSW ( mostly Sydney ), 20 % from Victoria ( mostly Melbourne ), 7.5 % from Queensland , and the rest from other states .
MOTIVATIONS TO APPLY The survey of the 465 EOI applicants resulted in 113 responses . These respondents articulated a range of motivations for applying to be part of the New Move program . When channelled to select one option , the top responses included : 30 % were motivated by the $ 10,000 incentive payment ; 25 % identified the lifestyle attraction of Newcastle ; 16 % wanted to be part of a program to connect with an innovator ; 12 % wanted to be part of a program to grow their business .
In addition , the walk-up interviews ( n = 52 ) at the live Famil found that these participants
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