The Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) welcomes the Victorian Government announcement that the State Electricity Commission will offer 2,000 electrical trade apprenticeship positions over the next four years, with the first intake commencing in 2027.

Australia faces a significant, long-term energy workforce challenge. PSO’s 2025 Workforce Plan found 42,000 extra energy trades workers are required by 2030 to meet the demands of the clean energy transition and broader electrification across the economy. Meeting that demand would require the number of energy apprentices in training to increase by around 40 per cent nationally.

Growing Australia’s energy apprenticeship pipeline will require more employers across the economy to take on apprentices. Small and medium-sized businesses already undertake most of the heavy lifting in the system, employing the vast majority of energy trade apprentices nationally.

At the same time, electrical apprentice numbers are growing faster than the number of employers available to train them. Between 2020 and 2024, apprentice numbers grew around twice as fast as host employer numbers, increasing the training load across a system still dominated by relatively small businesses.

Initiatives that create additional apprenticeship opportunities through larger employers, including the public sector, can therefore play an important role in supporting workforce growth alongside the critical contribution already being made by SMEs.

PSO’s workforce research has consistently shown that apprenticeship pathways remain central to building the skilled workforce required to deliver Australia’s energy transition. Expanding opportunities for apprentices to enter and complete training will be essential to ensuring Australia has the electricians and energy trades workers needed to deliver new infrastructure, maintain existing assets and support reliable, affordable and secure energy systems into the future.

PSO recognises that initiatives like the one announced in Victoria are a critical step toward achieving Australia’s clean energy and electrification ambitions and encourages governments across Australia to explore similar initiatives to support the growth of the skilled energy workforce the country requires.

ABOUT POWERING SKILLS ORGANISATION

Established in 2023 as one of 10 government-funded Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs), Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) was purpose-built to harness workforce opportunities in the energy, gas and renewables sector. PSO works to find solutions to the skills and workforce challenges of its diverse stakeholder network, utilising strong collaboration between industry and training providers. Its four key functions are workforce planning; training product development; implementation, promotion and monitoring; and industry stewardship.

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