Page 8 - Climate Control News Magazine April 2022

News
RAC apprentices in demand
WITH THE DEMAND for skilled workers rising in 2021, a higher proportion of appren- tices and trainees are being employed after completing their training.
The latest statistics from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show 94 per cent of apprentices and trainees who completed their training in a trade occupa- tion were employed after training.
Employment outcomes improved the most for those who trained in electrotechnology which includes refrigeration and air condi- tioning.
NCVER managing director Simon Walker said employment outcomes for apprentices and trainees significantly improved between 2019 and 2021.
He said a higher proportion of employers retained apprentices after they completed training.
“The proportion of qualified apprentices and trainees employed with the same em- ployer was up 12.3 percentage points from 2019,” he said.
Out of the tradies that changed employers in 2021, 24.7 per cent did so because they were offered a better job, compared with 14.5 per cent in 2019.
These figures may change in 2022 as the apprenticeship wage subsidy made available through the Commonwealth’s Boosting Ap- prenticeship Commencements (BAC) incen- tive program ends 31 March, 2022.
More employers retained apprentices after they completed training.
THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT will deliver Australia’s first offshore wind farms with a strong plan to drive regional investment, slash emissions and create jobs.
The nation leading policy, set out in the Victo- rian Offshore Wind Policy Directions Paper, in- cludes procuring projects that will generate at least 2 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind online by 2032 – enough to power 1.5 million homes - cre- ating thousands of jobs in the process.
The first power from offshore wind is expect- ed as soon as 2028 following a competitive pro- cess – and targets of 4 GW have been set for 2035 and 9 GW for 2040.
Winds off Victoria’s coastline are among the best in the world and the resource can support a thriving new industry − one that will create thousands of jobs, drive economic development and help Victoria halve emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Studies show the state has the potential to support an enormous 13 GW of capacity from coastal regions by 2050 – five times the state’s current renewable energy generation.
At 13 GW, these offshore wind projects would generate up to 6,100 jobs in the develop- ment and construction phase and in ongoing operational jobs.
In November last year, Victoria pledged approximately $40 million under the Energy Innovation Fund to fund feasibility studies and pre-construction development for three major offshore wind proposals: Star of the South, Macquarie Group and Flotation Energy.
Together, those three projects could generate 4.7 GW of new capacity, power around 3.6 mil- lion homes and bring more than $18 billion in new investment to Victoria.
The government will now undertake an exten- sive consultation process.
The first power from offshore wind is expected as soon as 2028.
Victoria gets wind of a new industry
RECORD BREAKING YEAR FOR RENEWABLES
Australia has set renewable energy records for the fifth year in a row with more than one in four households now generating power from their rooftops.
In 2021, renewable energy delivered nearly one third or 32.2 per cent of the electricity in the national electricity market, with a 35.8 per cent jump in the final quarter of the year.
Total generation from all renewable sources across Australia rose 23 per cent compared to 2020, delivering 72.5 terawatt hours.
This is the fifth record-breaking year in a row
for solar panels as Australians installed approximately 380,000 new systems with a combined capacity of 3.2 gigawatts, bringing the overall total to 17 gigawatts.
Last year, 2.9 gigawatts of new wind and solar power stations were committed, including Australia’s largest wind farm, The MacIntyre, in Queensland.
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said $7.4 billion or $284 per person was invested in renewable energy last year.
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