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12 E L EC TR I C AL CONNEC T I ON
AU T UMN 20 1 6
INDUSTRY NEWS
NECAANNOUNCES STUDENTOF
THEYEARAWARDWINNER
The National Electrical and
Communications Association
(NECA) has named Reece Jongenelis
(pictured left) as the 2015 winner
of the NECA School Student
Commitment to Industry award.
“Reece is clearly a high-achiever,”
said judges Stuart Diepeveen and
Tom Emeleus, each of whom head up
NECA Group Training Organisations.
“We weren’t surprised when we
found out that Reece had also won
several other awards this year. He
is exactly the kind of student we
welcome to our industry.”
Not only has Reece taken first
prize in the NECA School Student
Awards, but he has received five
additional accolades:
§Ŷ
Marist Scholarship 2015 Recipient.
§Ŷ
South Australian School-based
Apprentice of the Year 2015.
§Ŷ
2015 SA Training Awards People’s
Choice Winner.
§Ŷ
Finalist 2015 Australian Training
Awards.
§Ŷ
Marcellin Apprentice of the Year
2015.
This year’s runner up was
Jodie Crayden – fromWoodvale
Secondary College, Western
Australia. Christopher Cover – from
Groves Christian College, Queensland
came in third.
Australia’s finest young apprentices,
trainees and students are gearing
up for the ultimate challenge: The
2016 WorldSkills Australia national
competition, to be held this year in
Melbourne.
Supported by the Victorian
Government, the national
competition will be held from 6 to
8 October 2016 at the Melbourne
Showgrounds. Close to 500
competitors from all corners of
Australia will compete in over 50
skill categories, including electrical.
Their journey began at the
WorldSkills Australia regional
competitions held in 31 regions
across the country. As the regional
competitions draw to a close,
stand-out competitors will be
selected to progress onto the national
competition, where the pressure will
be on as they undertake three days
of intensive competition against the
nation’s best in the hopes of being
named the national champion in their
respective skill category.
The competitors that progress to
the national competition will spend
the coming months dedicating every
spare moment to honing their skills
with the support of their trainers and
employers.
WorldSkills Australia will find its
first national champions from 17
to 19 May at the Air Conditioning
Refrigeration and Building Services
(ARBS) exhibition, which will host the
2016 WorldSkills Australia National
Refrigeration Competition.
The South Australian Government’s
announcement that the state will
produce zero net emissions by 2050 is
a commitment that will drive positive
change and unlock many economic
opportunities over the next 35 years,
the Clean Energy Council (CEC) says.
CEC chief executive Kane Thornton
says the South Australian Government
continues to show strong leadership
that is delivering renewable energy
investment and cutting emissions,
and its plan to be a net exporter
of renewable energy is extremely
welcome.
“A long-term transition plan for a
cleaner energy sector with strong
market signals will attract major private
sector investment to the state. It is
certainly achievable and the South
Australian example to date shows that
much higher levels of renewable energy
are possible throughout the rest of the
country,” Kane says.
“This goal will need to be accompanied
by smart energy market reform
that ensures the state can run on
progressively higher levels of renewable
energy and continue to operate a stable
energy system.
“Currently about 40% of the power
across the state comes from renewable
energy, and the Australian Energy
Market Operator says the system will
remain secure and meet its reliability
standards in the coming years –
meaning at least 99.98% of power
demand will be served.
“Policymakers, regulators and market
operators need to take a more strategic
approach to prepare for the necessary
changes in our electricity system, and
the renewable energy industry looks
forward to working constructively and
collaboratively with these groups.”
MELBOURNETOHOSTTHENATION’SLARGESTTRADESANDSKILLSCHALLENGE
SOUTHAUSTRALIALIGHTS THEWAYONROADTORENEWABLES