A Climate of Good Trade Jobs

An apprenticeship is a good way to access an in demand, well paid career, it’s not all plain sailing though, apprenticeships tend to have stubbornly low completion rates.

But the opportunities for qualified tradespeople remain. The Australian Apprenticeships Priority List identifies over 110 occupations where there is an acute shortage and demand for tradespeople will be boosted by the greening of the economy.

Plant mechanic, Electrician, Automotive electrician, Mechanical fitter, Electrical fitter, Boilermaker and Fitter machinist are some of the most in demand trades. While Australia’s construction and mining industries remain large employers, the Climate Council reports a 50 per cent renewable energy target in 2030 will lead to over 28,000 new jobs, nearly 50 per cent more than if energy sources did not change. The Council says a large proportion of these new jobs will stem from construction and installation activities related to renewable energy infrastructure.

Direct full-time employment in renewable energy activities in Australia was estimated at 26,850 jobs in 2018-19, a 27 per cent increase over the previous year. This was driven by construction activity for roof-top solar photovoltaic (PV) systems (2,880 additional FTE jobs), large scale solar PV systems (1,600 additional FTE jobs) and wind farms (1,220 additional FTE jobs).

Clean energy work opportunities will continue to multiply, but Clean Energy Council Director of Workforce Development, Dr Anita Talberg, has noted potential supply constraints, “…to achieve 82 per cent renewable generation in the National Electricity Market and 43 per cent emissions reduction below 2005 levels by 2030 [Australia needs] 32,000 additional electricians, far greater than the projected labour supply and 450,000 jobs in construction of clean energy generation and transmission infrastructure, representing one third of all jobs growth in Australia by 2030.”

There is a range of technology transitions that will affect workers in the energy sector. Electricity generation will become less centralised and more dispersed as electricity is increasingly sourced from renewable resources, forms of energy storage are becoming increasingly important to energy systems.

In June 2024, the Labor Government announced it was expanding the New Energy Apprenticeships Program which provides incentives to encourage more people into sectors that are playing a critical role in transitioning Australia to a net zero economy.

The program will be broadened to respond to issues raised by industry during consultations about the practical issues facing key sectors as they transition to clean energy and adapt to new technology.

The changes will help assist more apprentices and trainees skilling-up in sectors with exposure to clean energy - like housing construction, automotive and advanced manufacturing - and remove a requirement that an apprentice’s work be solely dedicated to clean energy, whilst retaining a clean energy skilling purpose for the apprenticeship.