A $50 million fund to support aspiring apprentices wanting to work in clean energy is yet to be paid out after a year since it was included in the 2024-25 Federal Budget.
The funding will help upgrade training facilities that are already at capacity, allowing more students to enter apprenticeships and help regional communities at the coalface of the energy transition.
Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia CEO, Felix Pirie, spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about how apprentices are being turned away from clean energy training.
“The reduction in those enrolments, and this is direct feedback from our members, is not because there is a lack of interest, there is definitely interest there,” he said.
“The challenge there is through the bottleneck at both the incentive end, employers not having access to incentives they need to take on apprentices and also facilities as well.”
While the eligibility guidelines for funding have yet to be released, with no listings found on the government’s grants website.
The guidelines must be agreed on by the stats and territories, however communiques from the five ministerial meetings since the fund was announced have not mentioned it.
“We’re working with the states and territories, and with industry, in upgrading facilities, expanding training capacity, and ensuring Australians can make the most of the opportunities of clean energy,” said Skills Minister, Andrew Giles in a statement to the ABC.
“Delivery of the fund alongside states and territories is underway, with projects expected to be funded in 2025-26.”
Without the fund to support the future of clean energy, it will make it difficult for the government to meet its target of doubling renewables capacity in the electricity grid by 2030.
When the fund was announced, the government stated an additional 240,000 workers in the energy sector were needed by 2030, including 32,000 needing to be electricians.
Environmental department figures show the government has only just started bringing emissions down after they plateaued following the Covid pandemic.
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