The Albanese Labor Government’s New Energy Apprenticeships Program will provide more opportunities for people on the South Coast to enter the new energy workforce and support the transition to Net Zero.
Around $600 million in measures in the 2024-25 Budget will bolster skills growth and development across the clean energy, construction, and manufacturing sectors, as well as supporting apprentices and breaking down barriers for women in male-dominated industries.
Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips and Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Senator Jenny McAllister, had the opportunity to speak with apprentice electricians and teachers during a visit to Nowra TAFE on Thursday.
“We’ve been into the electrotechnology class and spoken with apprentices and TAFE teachers and it’s really great to see the number of students and apprentices engaged in developing these in-demand skills,” Mrs Phillips said.
“We know that the transition to renewable energy, the growth in the construction industry, and the Albanese Government’s investment in more housing will lead to a huge increase in demand for tradespeople.”
“I was a TAFE teacher at Nowra TAFE for over a decade, and I have a very strong focus on making sure that our young people and mature-aged students can train locally.”
Mrs Phillips said it was important to provide a local training ground for clean energy skills such as wind, solar, pumped hydro, grid battery storage, electricity networks and hydrogen, as well as housing and construction trades.
“Training for jobs of the future in our region is so important, and we've got great local employers that are taking on these apprentices. It's exciting to see this sector really starting to take off locally,” she added.
Nowra TAFE student Ashton Govier works at Simmark which provides solar, air conditioning and electrical solutions across the Shoalhaven.
“I’m doing solar at the moment at work. Got into it by meeting one of the owners of Simmark at my school, he offered me an apprenticeship once I finished school,” Ashton said
Oliver Macken is enrolled in a TAFE Certificate III in electrotechnology and works at Solar Hive.
“We install solar from Ulladulla to Wollongong. Why am I doing my electrical trade? To be honest part of it was the money, but I also wanted a hands-on career,” he said.
Senator McAllister said the world was decarbonising and for Australia, that offered enormous opportunities.
“Our budget is focused on setting our country up to take advantage of the growth in industries and jobs that will come as the world decarbonises,” she said.
“We have the capacity to be key players in green metals, hydrogen, in low-emissions fuels, all of it underwritten by taking advantage of our significant resources in solar and wind. We’re decarbonising our grid and decarbonising our economy.”
“Part of that is making sure that we have the skilled professionals ready to participate in the economy of the future, and our budget contains significant investments to make sure that we have these trainees and apprentices coming through.”
“We've recently signed a new National Skills Agreement with the States and Territories, that will see $30 billion flow into the vocational education and training sector over five years.
“We’ve expanded our New Energy Apprenticeships Program which means more apprentices will benefit from a $10,000 cost-of-living cash boost delivered throughout their apprenticeship.”
“We are continuing and extending Fee-Free TAFE so that more people can skill up in priority areas.”
“We're making investments to modernise training facilities in our Vocational Education and Training sector to deliver the training that students and industry require.”
She said speaking to the students at Nowra TAFE was “just lovely”.
“There’s a whole lot of young people either still in their final years of high school or that have just left, in an apprenticeship, working with a local employer and working here at the TAFE to develop these skills so that they can take part in the electrical trades. They're excited about their future,” she said.
“They know instinctively the opportunities that are going to come. We’re determined to give them the support that they require to be part of this as the economy changes.”
Senator McAllister said there had been “very significant growth in demand for trades courses” which reflects the projected growth in demand for these professions.
“Jobs and Skills Australia expects that we'll need as many as 32,000 more electricians by 2030… and our last budget included $50 million so we can expand clean energy training capacity and upgrade facilities so that students have the training and the necessary technology.
“And also expand and turbocharge the clean energy teacher, trainers and assessor workforce so we have the staff we need to train future generations.”
Mrs Phillips said there had been growth in student numbers at TAFE campuses along the along the coast in the electorate of Gilmore.
“We are seeing a growth in students coming back because of Fee-Free TAFE which is great,” she explained.
“I think there's definitely more opportunities to grow electrical further down the coast, at Moruya and Ulladulla TAFE campuses as well.
“I know that, in Moruya, there is a demand from local employers that want students to be able to do their training locally so they don't have to travel as far, so it would great to tap into these local campuses. It’s good for the apprentices, it's good for local employers and it's good for clean energy.
“We're seeing that, whether it's clean energy, whether it's construction, whether it's commercial, people want apprentices. And that's why we're investing in apprentices through Fee-Free TAFE and doing everything we can to encourage people to take up an apprenticeship.”
Photos: Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Senator Jenny McAllister and Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips stopped by Nowra TAFE to speak with students and teachers about jobs of the future in the clean energy sector.
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