The Western Australian government has inaugurated a new $18 million TAFE campus in Esperance, marking a significant investment in regional education. Located conveniently down the road from Paul Griffiths's home, the campus represents a step towards enhancing vocational training. However, the absence of an electrical course has sparked discussions about addressing the skilled labor shortage that is impacting regional communities like Esperance.
Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk emphasized the importance of the Clean Energy Skills Workforce Roadmap, a collaborative initiative between the government, State Training Board, and industry stakeholders. The roadmap aims to inform infrastructure and training strategies to expand TAFE capacity, particularly in the electrical sector. This sector faces a workforce deficit that threatens to hinder regional development and national housing targets.
Electrotechnology Training Institute's chief executive Carl Copeland noted the lack of vocational training capacity as a barrier to progress. He stressed the need for the sector to "gear itself up" for the transition to net zero. Professor Peter Newman of Curtin University echoed this sentiment, highlighting the urgent need for a skilled workforce to support the National Housing Accord's target of 1.2 million new homes by 2029. Electricians play a pivotal role in meeting this demand, yet Western Australia fell short by about 500 dwellings of its quarterly target in September.
"We're going to need more and more people just to keep the aging infrastructure up to the right level." – Paul "Griff" Griffiths
Griffiths pointed out the logistical challenges faced by apprentices who must travel to Perth for training, underscoring the need for localized educational resources.
"The problem we have is that our apprentices have to go to Perth for their training." – Paul "Griff" Griffiths
Anthea Middleton called for a significant uplift in both capacity and capability within the energy workforce to meet transformation deadlines. She highlighted the evolving nature of the industry, which now requires expertise in emerging technologies like batteries and electric vehicles.
"There needs to be significant uplift in both the capacity and capability of our energy workforce to meet the [energy] transformation deadlines." – Anthea Middleton
Despite acknowledging that current preparations may fall short, Middleton remained optimistic about ongoing efforts to address these challenges.
"I don't think we are ready, but I do think the approaches are underway." – Anthea Middleton
With Australia facing a projected shortfall of 17,400 energy sector workers by 2030, the urgency for expanding training opportunities becomes even more evident.
"We need to train the apprentices, but we also need more training for electricians to upskill." – Carl Copeland
The Powering Skills Organisation warns that this deficit is likely to grow, exacerbating challenges in meeting energy and housing demands. Griffiths emphasized electricity's ubiquitous role in daily life, highlighting its critical importance.
"Everything we do and touch, electricity is needed." – Paul Griffiths
