The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) have successfully delivered training on Installation Testing Practices for 46 of Tasmania’s electricians in Hobart in early October 2023.

The NECA run course is currently one of the limited post-trade offerings in the state for the electrical sector and addresses the serious lack of opportunity to upskill the state’s sparkies.

“Quite a large number of non-compliant electrical works identified by the CBOS team have been centred around a lack of understanding of the testing and verification requirements,” a Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) spokesperson says.

“The training that NECA is providing is a big step forward in ensuring the standard of Tasmania’s electrical work continues to improve.”

NECA Tasmania state manager, government relations & member engagement Ben Shaw says the course has received overwhelming positive feedback from participants and their employers with a strong interest from many more to take part.

“There are a further 80 participants undertaking this NECA-led training throughout the state next month, however, the course reached maximum capacity within days of being announced,” he says.

“As a result, we are currently looking at opportunities to expand our post-trade offerings even further for Tassie’s electricians. The collaboration with Keystone Tasmania has worked very well and it shows how working together can deliver great outcomes for our electricians and our sector.”

Approximately 43,000 more electricians are still needed in Australia over the next ten years. According to NECA national chief executive officer Oliver Judd, upskilling courses, like those run in October, will be in high demand if a clean energy workforce is planned to be delivered in the future.

“The Employment white paper released last week by the Federal Government has identified the critical need not only for additional apprentices but also the requirement for upskilling to meet the demands of the Australian economy,” he says.

NECA education and careers chief executive officer Gideon Perrot says it’s imperative that, as industry leaders, NECA steps up and provides opportunities to strengthen the Tasmanian electrotechnology sector and support its post-trade needs. This, with the support of Keystone, will ensure that the Tasmanian electrical sector has access to the critical set of skills that form a key part of the Australian standard.