In the electrical contracting industry good literacy and numeracy skills are essential for anyone wanting to become an electrician. NECA welcomes the government’s commitment to raising the bar for education benchmarks.

“NECA employs 2,000 apprentices directly and trains a further 8,000 people annually across Australia,” says NECA chief executive Suresh Manickam.

“As a result we attract a huge number of applications for apprenticeships – but unfortunately find many otherwise excellent candidates are let down by their poor literacy and numeracy skills.

“We are working with all the key bodies involved in education to develop an industry-recognised national benchmark for recruitment as an electrical apprentice – including promoting our industry in schools. We run a number of scholarship and award programmes aimed specifically at people still at school,” Suresh adds.

“The importance of ASBAs and pre-apprenticeships should not be overlooked. They are very important as entry points to the industry. ASBAs enable school students to continue the development of their literacy and numeracy skills whilst undertaking an apprenticeship on a part-time basis. This process provides an invaluable introduction and understanding of industry requirements. Pre-apprenticeships allow a student to experience the work of an electrical contractor before committing to a four-year apprenticeship. We also encourage schools to be more flexible with their timetabling to allow students to gain vital work experience if they are to enter a trade.”