“We will need an army of skilled workers to power the Australia of the future”, Federal Minister for Skills and Training, The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP told a gathering of industry professionals at NECA’s National Electrotechnical Industry Lunch in Melbourne last week.
“Australia is undergoing a significant transformation towards a clean energy future, and with that comes many opportunities”, Mr O’Connor said.
With a number of key announcements in this year’s federal budget around clean energy initiatives, and the unveiling this week of the government’s Net Zero Agency and Advisory board, you don’t have to look too far to see that a clean energy future ranks highly on the government’s list of priorities.
The federal budget set aside $3.7 billion for a 5-year national skills agreement, to make skills and training more accessible and equitable, and Mr O’Connor said “I want to thank you for your hard work in getting this JSC (Jobs and Skills Council) off the ground. The quicker they can start the work, the sooner we will have a more complete picture of the sector’s skills needs.
“Your collaboration with Master Electricians Australia and the ETU will help develop the skills needed for the workforce of tomorrow.
“And paramount to getting this right, is making sure all voices have a seat at the table.
“Employees, businesses and all levels of government need to work together. They must collaborate to make sure we have the most informed view of how we combat both current and future skills shortages.
“NECA themselves are an exemplar on how to support apprentices [to] finish their training and qualify in trades”, Minister O’Connor said.
NECA Education & Careers CEO, Mr Gideon Perrott added “We have been working hard to ensure that over 90 per cent of NECA apprentices are now completing their training, and we are encouraged by the growing number of women who are joining electrical trades.
“The Minister’s focus on fixing foundation skills and the effort and investment the Minister and his government are placing on the construction and clean energy sector will ensure the electrical trades sector gets the next generation of highly skilled, vocationally educated tradespeople we desperately need”.