With economic modelling indicating up to 34,000 new jobs could be created by the Hunter Renewable Energy Zone alone, a TAFE NSW and Regional Industry Education Partnership (RIEP) program is giving local Hunter secondary school students unique insights into future career opportunities in renewables in the Hunter region and beyond.
Eleven Year 10 and Year 11 students participated in the five-week Renewable Energy Skills Builder program where they conducted hands-on experiments using innovative kits to learn how clean energy is generated and stored, connected with local renewable energy industry leaders in the classroom and visited local renewable energy industries.
“TAFE NSW invested in these kits to teach students how renewable energy is generated,” TAFE NSW’s Renewable Energy Course Coordinator, Timothy De Grauw, said.
“Our course is tailored to the region, so here in the Hunter we are demonstrating solar PV, wind, pumped hydro and an EV (Electric Vehicle) which is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and demonstrating the (including electrolysis process), solar PV module, and then super capacitor (like the local light rail). After the students grasp the theory, we introduce local industry ambassadors for each generation category who can point to specific projects and the jobs they will need to fill.”
“Jobs and Skills Australia’s “Clean Energy generation” report defined 38 occupations that will be critical to support the renewable transition, and meeting these ambassadors reinforces the breadth of opportunities to the students,” Timothy said.
“The future workforce is crucial to Australia meeting its 2030 targets are the students who are choosing their subjects and deciding on the career path they want to pursue and that he is for them to know about the local clean energy projects in the development pipeline,” Regional Industry Education Partnerships Officer Walter Mansfield said.
“We see students’ eyes light up when they realise the numbers and kinds of jobs that are going to be needed. It is helping them make decisions now about what vocational or tertiary training pathways they might take,” Walter said.
“The program that we’ve partnered with TAFE NSW and industry on outlines the opportunities, the skills needed and the wages that pursuing a clean energy career can bring them. We need to embed this program in each Renewable Energy Zone to ensure that this generation is ready to take these well paid and highly skilled jobs in their respective regions”.
“It’s why RIEP has promoted the program to local schools and organised student participation, sourced relevant clean energy proponents to present in the classroom and online and coordinated student excursions to industry.”
“We are proud of this partnership with the Regional Industry Education Partnerships program, a NSW Department of Education initiative, that brings together leaders in the renewable energy arena in the Hunter with their prospective future workforce.
“It’s part of a broader range of courses TAFE NSW has developed with industry to upskill prospective and existing workers and allow students to leap into a renewables career with relevant and in-demand skills,” Timothy said.
IMAGE | Year 10 and 11 students participate in the Renewable Energy Skills Builder program
