Urgent action needed to meet Australian net zero goals

Australia’s race to net zero could stall without a dramatic increase in the skilled energy trades workforce, said Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) in its 2025 Workforce Plan.

The plan, launched on 28 August at Parliament House in Canberra, explores the range of opportunities and challenges Australia faces in building the energy, gas and renewables workforce needed to meet net zero targets.

Established by the federal government, PSO has found that critical bottlenecks are holding back growth — including a shortage of trainers, limited training infrastructure, and employers unable to take on apprentices despite high demand.

The plan stated that Australia is projected to face a shortage of 42,000 qualified energy trades workers by 2030, which is expected to worsen by 2050 if no action is taken. It has also estimated that training has fallen short by 40% over the past decade, resulting in a current shortage of 22,000 apprentices.

However, PSO says that given the long-term nature of our clean energy goals and the government’s active involvement in workforce planning, there is time to chart a sustainable course to fill these gaps.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prepare our labour and training markets for a fundamentally different future,” said PSO CEO Anthea Middleton.

“If we get workforce planning right now, we can deliver a just transition that provides safe, stable and highly skilled careers for Australians while helping the world address climate change.

“The challenge now is to remove the bottlenecks and ensure people can access the training and support they need to succeed.”

The 2025 Workforce Plan, titled ‘High Load, Short Supply — Bridging the Gap to 2030’, was developed with input from more than 280 organisations nationwide.

It sets out 31 targeted actions to lift workforce capacity, capability, culture and industry confidence.

They include:

• expanding training infrastructure and trainer numbers, reducing wait times for apprentices;
• supporting employers to take on more apprentices;
• improving support for mature-aged apprentices;
• upskilling the existing workforce;
• increasing diversity in the energy workforce;
• developing a National Career Progression Framework for the VET sector;
• updating National Training Packages to keep pace with clean energy technologies.
   

Middleton thanked the Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Andrew Giles, for the federal government’s proactive interest in the energy sector’s workforce challenges.

“We applaud the government for the actions it has taken to date, including Fee-Free TAFE and its $91 million investment towards skilling the clean energy workforce,” she said.

“But as PSO’s research shows, there is still more to do. We look forward to working with the government on the further decisive actions needed to close the skills gap and build the workforce Australia needs for the future.”

Giles highlighted the importance of continuing to develop the workforce in the energy sector.

“We need to continue to work together — governments, industry, unions and other stakeholders — to get more apprentices into Australia’s energy sector. Our government’s New Energy Apprenticeship Program is seeing more Australians signing up to work in the sector, and we’re making a $30 million investment in our VET trainer workforce that will help grow the number of electrical VET teachers.”

Image credit: iStock.com/simonkr