The Electrotechnology Training Packages’s renewable energy units will be updated for the first time in a decade in order to support the transition to clean energy and ensure a workforce skilled in renewable energy.
The Clean Energy Council has been working closely with Australian Industry Standards and advocating strongly for the much overdue and important review of these critical education and training components.
Renewable systems, technology and industry practices have evolved significantly and at pace.
Training package materials will be updated to enable the electrotechnology workforce to develop the necessary skills for installing and maintaining renewable energy technologies used by domestic and commercial customers.
The review will include 50 renewable energy units in the Electrotechnology Training Package, with implications for eight qualifications.
These 50 units cover training on design, installation, maintenance and safety of small renewable energy systems, some of which are required learning for any electricians seeking Clean Energy Council accreditation to install household solar or battery systems.
There was a record 378,451 rooftop solar installations in 2020, and with renewable energy providing upwards of a quarter of Australia’s electricity needs, it is vital to have a workforce that can deliver now and into the future.
The Clean Energy Council’s Clean Energy at Work report in 2020 identified and highlighted that skills shortages exist within the renewable energy labour market, leading to a range of issues such as reduced efficiencies and project delays that drive up costs.
As well as a general shortage of electricians, the report showed a shortage of electricians with the right skills for working in renewable energy.
Clean Energy Council Chief Executive, Kane Thornton, said, “A strong and skilled workforce is key to a thriving clean energy industry.
“The Clean Energy Council has a strong focus on ensuring that we have the skills needed to support the development of clean energy now and into the next decade.
“The Clean Energy Council has been working actively and collaboratively across its membership and with unions, education and training facilities, and safety regulators to strengthen and promote career pathways into the sector and to raise safety and work standards for workers.
“It is important for the industry and important for Australian communities that we raise the bar on workforce practices and outcomes while accelerating the uptake of clean energy.”