Thousands of secure, high-paying jobs were being created as a part of the state's clean energy transition, a Newcastle jobs forum has heard.
But building the workforce also involves overcoming significant challenges in skills training.
Dozens of Hunter stakeholders joined Energy Minister Penny Sharpe, Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Minister Steve Whan and NSW Jobs Advocate Mark Apthorpe for the 2030 Renewable Workforce Roundtable on Thursday.
The meeting received an update on the actions already taken to create local, secure jobs and ensuring workers could transition to the renewables sector.
"Delivering the energy transition is a big challenge that comes with real opportunities for thousands of good, local and secure jobs," Minister for Climate Change and Energy Penny Sharpe said.
"The NSW 2030 Renewable Workforce Roundtable brought together the brains and experience across the Hunter and beyond to help ensure the workforce plan for the Renewable Energy Zones will deliver skills, training and jobs across the state now and into the future."
Initiatives already underway include
- Launching $275 million in grants under the Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative.
- Setting workforce requirements through the Renewable Energy Sector Board's plan and Roadmap tenders.
- Establishing a First Nations coordination team within EnergyCo and developing First Nations Guidelines with key Aboriginal community representatives and government agencies to build pathways to employment.
- Funding employment initiatives for local communities.
- Introducing eight TAFE NSW microskill courses related to renewables, including Hydrogen Energy Fundamentals.
Hunter Jobs Alliance coordinator Justin Page said there was a genuine desire to work collaboratively on addressing the enormous challenges of developing the workforce to deliver this energy transition.
"It was identified that apprenticeship, traineeship, local procurement mandates and targets are needed to ensure local, well-paid secure jobs are generated in the regions where this renewable infrastructure is being built to provide lasting benefits for those communities. It was also stressed the urgency of this plan needs to be now, not in two years time. There has been plenty of skill shortage mapping. Government needs to get on with investing in skills and training, Industry needs to play a bigger role in engaging apprentices and trainees, local workers, local procurement and supply chains.
Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said the government was supporting people to gain the skills needed for emerging industries.
"The Renewable Workforce Roundtable is an opportunity for industry, education experts and government to collaborate and create pathways to jobs in the renewable energy sector, which are popping up right across NSW.
"I'm particularly interested to build on our efforts to deliver training and apprenticeships to people in regional areas, existing tradespeople and school leavers."
