The WA government has lodged a proposal with the Commonwealth government to establish a Clean Energy National Centre of Excellence in Western Australia, as it works to position the state at the forefront of the global clean energy transition.
The clean energy investment pipeline in Western Australia is in the vicinity of $200 billion, and projections show the clean energy sector is expected to generate around 350,000 jobs from 2025 to 2050.
WA Premier Roger Cook said: “Our proposed TAFE Clean Energy National Centre of Excellence initiative is an excellent opportunity to use the entire network of WA TAFE colleges to deliver the advanced skills base needed for the state’s energy transition.
“We will collaborate with other states and territories, the Commonwealth and industry stakeholders to join up with other nationally networked Centres of Excellence to grow Australia’s clean energy skills and workforce capability.”
Increasing the number of apprentices, particularly in trades such as electricians, engineers, motor mechanics, plumbers, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, metal fitters and machinists will help ensure that WA has the skills needed to reach its target of net zero by 2050.
The proposed Centre of Excellence would be made up of a network of WA TAFEs because of the scope, magnitude, and diversity of projects being created throughout Western Australia in the areas of solar, wind, hydrogen, and batteries.
WA Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk said: “Jobs such as supervisory control and data acquisition engineers, wind turbine technicians, and metering technicians will form part of the skills landscape as we move to distributed electricity generation, and more niche occupations will emerge as technology evolves.”
The proposal, which is still to be negotiated with the Commonwealth, will lead the development of training and workforce initiatives in collaboration with industry, unions, TAFE, universities, and key training stakeholders.
It will also support more Western Australians, including Aboriginal students and women, in clean energy jobs.
The state government has also submitted an application to access part of the Commonwealth’s $31.6 million in turbocharging funding to fast-track the development of clean energy training and workforce initiatives.
WA’s proposal for a Clean Energy National Centre of Excellence will leverage off a $2.8 billion package announced in the State Budget for new wind, solar and storage capacity to upgrade the grid to power opportunities in green hydrogen, critical minerals and other green industries.
The historic five-year National Skills Agreement, which commenced in January this year, is a $1.34 billion investment between the federal and state governments to expand and transform access to WA’s vocational education and training (VET) sector, support quality training and implement reforms to address critical skills needs in WA.
