For over 30 years, Electrical Connection magazine has been a stalwart for tips, tricks, new products and news for electricians. Casey McGuire looks over the past 30 years and how the industry has grown.

Hip, hip, HOORAY! Hip, hip, HOORAY! Hip, hip, HOORAY!!! It’s Electrical Connection’s birthday and we have turned 30.

When the magazine started finding its way into the vans of electricians across the country, Pixar released its first film, Sony released the first PlayStation in North America, Oasis released its timeless classic ‘Wonderwall’, Michael Jordan came out of retirement and Full House aired its final episode after eight seasons.

That’s crazy to think those are only some of the revelations within the past three decades. 1995 feels so long ago, it’s older than Timothee Chalamet, Jess Fox, the Arctic Monkeys and Grey’s Anatomy, just to name a few.

Let’s add Electrical Connection to this infamous group. We have been “an invaluable resource” for electricians over the past 30 years. By keeping up to date on industry trends, providing technical knowledge and expert insights to help professionals stay ahead of the game.

There has been no lack of advancements in renewable energy, cabling, wireless communications, industrial automation and lighting to ensure electricians are prepared for the ever-growing demand for smart home technology, EV charging infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions.

Gary Busbridge (past contributor to Electrical Connection) and his mate, who was an electrician, played footy together. His wife went to the toilet, looked down and saw an Electrical Connection magazine. She picked it up, flicked through the pages and noticed Gary’s name in one of the articles.

She read the article, rocked up to footy the next week, came up to Gary and said: “That was quite interesting that article.”

It’s not just a magazine for the tradies, but for those who want to learn things about the industry from people who know the ins and outs of the trade who are also everyday Joes. The reader might learn about something they had no clue about.

How has the industry changed in the past 30 years?

Thirty years is a long time and some of the changes have ranged from a technology-driven ecosystem to the more complex advances in EV charging solutions.

“The electrical industry has shifted from a passive energy consumption model to a technology-driven ecosystem where efficiency, control and sustainability are at the heart,” Clipsal chief executive Chris Kerr says.

“Traditionally, energy was consumed with little visibility into usage patterns or waste. Thanks to advancements in smart technology, electrification and automation, consumers and businesses have greater control over how, when and where they use electricity.”

It’s not only about the technology that has changed but also workplace safety procedures. Technical writer Peter Vandenheuvel outlines how significant the changes to workplace safety are to make the industry a more professional environment.

Contact with electricity is one of the leading causes of fatalities in the workplace. The US Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found that 150 workplace electrical facilities occur on average every year.

Electrical Safety Foundation International compiled data from 2011 to 2023 and indicated the electrical fatality rate declined from a 0.13 fatality rate per 100,000 workers in 2011 to 0.098 in 2023. There are also constant changes to the work, health and safety (WHS) frameworks in each state and territory across Australia.

WHS is arguably one of the most important evolutions because this literally changes lives. Not only has workplace safety gotten better in the past 30 years, but it will continue to grow.

Biggest 30-year-old innovations

Modern technologies are letting us control lighting, HVAC and more, all from the wall and our phones.

“Thirty-five years ago, maybe longer, one of our marketing managers just said: ‘My dream is just the stick a light switch on the wall, and we’ll control all your lights in your house’,” Gary Busbridge says.

“We all had a bit of a chuckle, and thought: ‘How are we ever going to make that work?’ But now that technology is a reality and it’s commonplace across homes and businesses.

Traditionally, electricians used to pull cables, dust their hands off, and the job was completed. With the convergence with IT and software, on top of the renewable energy innovations, the role of the electrician is ever-expanding and much more than just pulling cables.

Energy consumption has become more sustainable, LED lighting has become more popular. Lithium-ion batteries started as an amazing solution for smaller powered items, but now electricians are looking at installing large batteries in homes as home owners take control of their power production and consumption.

“More than ever, we are seeing the digitisation of energy, which has been transformative,” Chris says.

“Connected electrical panels, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven automation and predictive energy management allow us to have unprecedented control, efficiency, independence and reliability within our homes and businesses. At the same time, they help us reduce costs, optimise energy use and inch closer to our net zero goals.”

Challenges within the industry

How do you grow the younger and future electricians into the industry? Education.

Australia needs more electricians. That’s the bottom line. We have all these plans to create jobs, reduce pressure on energy bills and lower emissions by boosting renewable energy as per the Australian Government’s ‘Powering Australia’ plan.

Where does all this start? It’s the education and attracting the younger generation to get involved in the electrical field. Australia needs 26,000 more electricians to enable a net zero economy, according to TAFE Directors Australia.

The industry is trying to get more electricians through TAFE by partnering with local businesses to recognise potential apprentices and offer pre-apprenticeship courses. These aim to build the foundational skills, promote the role of electricians in the market and work alongside the government and unions to increase training capacity through institutions so the nation can meet the growing demand for qualified electricians.

“One of the main challenges, and it’s a current one, is workforce and the shortage of skilled labour. We’re struggling to find enough qualified electricians to do the work that needs to be done, especially as we continue down this path of renewable energy,” National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) technical member services manager Paul Brownlee says.

“We can’t fast-track apprentices, and we have trouble bringing skilled electricians into the country. I don’t think we really have any understanding of how we’re going to fix this just yet.”

Recently, NECA Education & Careers were awarded the group training organisation (GTO) Service Excellence Award for its the Women and Their Trade (WaTT) program.

The WaTT program aimed to provide career opportunities for women in the electrical industry and boost some historically low representation from women in the electrical field. Women make up around 8% of the electrical industry, which is higher than it was in the past, but it’s extremely low compared to other industries across the country.

It removes the barriers to women entering a historically male-dominated trade like electrical. It saw 25 women over two years engage in an electrical apprenticeship with NECA Education & Careers. The Association followed this group through to completion and armed them with the tools, resources and support that they need to get ahead in their electrical careers.

“NECA provides comprehensive state-of-the-art training to electricians on the newest technologies,” Paul says.

“We have fantastic training facilities throughout the country to provide training for anyone looking to upskill and to the next generation of Australian electricians.”

Gary Busbridge says that in his time, he saw Schneider Electric and Legrand invest heavily to set up education programs. These programs were able to get tradies to step away from what they knew and try their hands in a new field.

“As I was growing through the business, I knew a lot of electrical contractors who had started small, just a one-man band and they’ve added staff over the years,” he says.

“So, by the time this was all starting to come to fruition, there was a big need for education in the industry, and I think that’s been the greatest challenge, is to try and not only teach the newer generations coming through the trade about automation, but also to be aware that you should be running the business with some profit in mind.”

The new generation of electricians can make a difference to Australia as they will play a role in rewiring the country. On top of that, there are boundless opportunities in automation and smart home technology that continue to grow.

“We have to get to those guys at the grassroots level and say, there are opportunities here, but you must be aware you just can’t run some wires and it’ll all work, because that’s normally what happens,” Gary says.

“You’ve got to think about how a person says you’re going to use the house or the commercial premises and then you run the wires. There’s a problem-solving element to the role.

He says that a lot of his colleagues and friends in the industry have been disappointed in the way the government-run institutions were handling the teaching within the electrical industry.

“There was straight-forward electrical training going on at the time, so these young kids would come out of training and think they knew everything, and they knew very little of the industry. That made it hard for the boss to say, you’ve got to go to this place and get stuck into whatever task was required, and they would be quite out of their depth.”

Pathways are the essential component to developing the next line of electricians. TAFE and programs like VCAL allow students to complete apprenticeships to gather an understanding of the requirements and skills within their chosen industry while gaining paid employment experience. If programs like these at institutions begin to fizzle out, that’s the next generation of tradies that have now vanished.

“It’s important to get those young kids some involvement and feel like they’ve got a stake in the industry, which then leads to a very real buy-in from that person in training,” Gary says.

“The way everything is set up now with the TAFE colleges, it works well that you can almost take it through from being an electrical apprentice, or any apprentice for that matter, and then take your steps through the certificates at different levels, which takes you to a position where you can be running a business.”

Chris Kerr says without the up-and-coming generation of electricians, the industry will suffer and drag behind.

“The demand for skilled electricians and energy specialists has outpaced supply, particularly as the industry shifts toward AI-driven energy management, IoT-enabled smart home solutions and advanced electrification technologies,” he says.

“Without a skilled workforce, the transition to a fully digitised, energy-efficient future will be slower and more challenging.”

Crystal ball of the future for electricians

What will the future look like for the industry? Of course, no one can be so sure of what the future holds. What is definite though is that the industry needs more people applying themselves so it can evolve.

Paul Brownlee says that time has changed from 30 years ago and will continue to change for the better: “Electricians will be challenged by the change in technology, as they have in the past.

“Thirty years ago, we didn’t talk about solar like we do now, we didn’t talk about load management systems controlling our houses, and I think that will continue to evolve. What’s good about our industry is that we’ve always been willing to adapt to these changes and new technologies.”

Peter Vandenheuvel, long-time Electrical Connection contributor and former member of several standards committees, says the future of the electrical industry is relying on the desire of the younger generation to be a part of it.

“Those who want to be part of the industry will not want for work, will enjoy reasonably high remuneration and almost unlimited promotion opportunities as the industry will continue to grow with all the advent of new technologies, all of which involve electrotechnology at all levels,” he says.

AI and smart homes will be the focus over the next decade and beyond to serve as a more convenient answer to difficult or everyday tasks. To keep up with all of this, it comes back to our preparation and education for the next age of technology.

“One of the biggest challenges today is the skills gap. Training and upskilling will be essential to meet future industry needs. This is a significant impact and uplift for the trade,” Chris says.

Prospects of the trade are relying on the next generation, and they are to make everyone more environmentally savvy and help Australia meet the net zero goal. The rise of renewable energy integration has been critical in the evolution. Solar power, battery storage and EV charging solutions have reshaped how homes and businesses generate and manage power to reduce reliance on traditional grids.

“Electricians will play a critical role in supporting Australia’s transition to net zero, ensuring homes and businesses can optimise their energy use efficiently and sustainably,” Chris concludes.

“Embracing digitisation and automation will not only future-proof careers but also place them at the forefront of an industry that is driving real change in energy management.”

How did Electrical Connection start?

Connection Magazines had been publishing Building Connection and Plumbing Connection for several years, making a name for itself in the trade publication space. Jeff Patchell, owner at the time, had a relationship with NECA, the peak industry body representing the interests of the electrical and communications contracting industry across Australia, and they approached him about making an electrical publication.

“NECA had a history of producing their own magazines, but every state was different, and they didn’t have enough scale to distribute it nationally,” he says.

“After seeing what we were doing in the building and plumbing space, they approached us and asked if we could create something for the electrical industry and we were all in.”

Jeff explains that the first edition of the magazine set up the premise for the publication: “As the former editor, Allan Alderson, said: ‘It’s hard work wading through the thinly disguised advertorial as it masquerades technical journalism in the Australian electrical industry.’”

At the time (and still today), a lot of magazines on the market were full of advertisements and had no content. Electrical Connection, as with the other trade publications at now Lanella Media, takes pride in not selling ads on the front cover and ensuring that all content inside the magazine is relevant to the industry, a philosophy started by Jeff all those decades ago.

Another guiding premise is that everything in the magazine must apply to the primary audience: Australian electrical contractors and electricians.

Speaking with Electrical Connection for its 20^th anniversary, former NECA National chief executive James Tinslay said: “Back in those very early days, Jeff worked quite closely with NECA’s national secretary Peter Glynn to ensure that the entire industry would benefit from the new publication.

“Jeff was determined to take the ‘every man’ approach he had successfully applied to plumbers and builders and apply it to electrical contractors. There was nothing else like it in the market.”

Jeff says: “The problem heading into a technical market is that it’s a lot harder for anyone to write about things of a technical nature if you’re not involved in the industry on a daily basis or have a background as a four-year apprentice.

“So, I looked around and found Allan Alderson, who was an electrical engineer, and he could speak to the electrical contractor. He came on board and stayed with us full-time for a couple of years to set the themes of the magazine.”

Jeff plays down his role in the magazine, saying that he knew nothing about the technical side, but he knew how to pick a good story and work with the editors.

“Over time, we found experts in certain technical areas, which was invaluable because these guys really knew their stuff. Some of them volunteered their expertise in terms of developing stories with us to help people understand standards, codes and regulations,” Jeff explains.

“In the lifetime of the magazine, there are two guys that we need to acknowledge, Brian Seymor and Phil Kreveld. They are still contributing to the magazine and sharing their knowledge with the industry. After decades, they’re still writing regularly for Electrical Connection.”