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Jobs and Skills Summit delivers win for clean energy sector

Jobs and Skills Summit

The clean energy industry has been a winner from the National Jobs and Skills Summit held in Canberra earlier this month, with strong support for the majority of the sector’s recommendations for a more robust clean energy workforce.

The clean energy industry has been prominent in ensuring a solid understanding of the sector’s workforce and opportunities.

An analysis of the state of the clean energy workforce, the emerging skills gaps and advocacy for a range of reforms have been detailed in the ‘Skilling the Energy Transition’ report.

Clean Energy Council chief executive, Kane Thornton said “The last two days have recognised the extraordinary opportunity for Australia to create hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs across regional Australia.

“With a strong spirit of positivity and collaboration, the outcomes from the Summit represent major progress in developing the workforce necessary to ensure Australia becomes a global clean energy superpower.”

Some critical areas of agreement from the summit of importance to the clean energy sector include:

  • Commitment to reform of the VET and University sectors and recognition of the importance of our tertiary education system to developing our future workforce. This was complemented by a $1.1 billion training blitz providing 180,000 additional free TAFE places from the state, territory and Federal Governments.
  • A commitment for governments to play a stronger role in the transition of key communities across Australia, with a more coordinated and active approach to those fossil-fuel-based communities in transition, reskilling and cross-skilling workers and creating new regional economic opportunities.
  • A strong recognition of the challenges and opportunities facing women and First Nations people participating in the clean energy revolution. Many of the agreed reforms to address this opportunity can significantly impact the role and opportunity for women and First Nations people in the clean energy workforce.
  • Increase in permanent migration and reforms to our visa system to attract a global workforce and students to support our vision for Australia to become a global centre of excellence.

“The Clean Energy Council will continue to lead and advocate for reform and change to ensure that we deliver the workforce necessary for Australia to become a clean energy superpower,” concluded Thornton.

“We look forward to working with the Federal Government to develop a National Energy Workforce Strategy and a First Nations Clean Energy Strategy.”

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