Australia faces a shortage of 42,000 qualified workers in energy trades by 2030, according to a landmark report released by the Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) last week.
The PSO warns in its 2025 Workforce Plan that Australia’s race to net zero could stall without a dramatic increase in the skilled energy trades workforce.
The plan, which was launched at Parliament House in Canberra, identified bottlenecks holding back growth in building the energy, gas and renewables workforce needed to meet net zero targets and the nation’s electrification and technological advancement.
PSO estimates training has fallen short by 40 per cent over the past decade, resulting in a current shortage of 22,000 apprentices.
The Jobs and Skills Council established by the federal government, said bottlenecks include a shortage of trainers as well as limited training infrastructure.
Moreover, employers are unable to take on apprentices despite high demand.
PSO CEO, Anthea Middleton, said that given the long-term nature of Australia’s clean energy goals and the government’s active involvement in workforce planning, there is time to chart a sustainable and world-leading course to fill these gaps.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to prepare our labour and training markets for a fundamentally different future,” she said.
“If we get workforce planning right now, we can deliver a just transition that provides safe, stable and highly skilled careers for Australians while helping the world address climate change.
“The challenge now is to remove the bottlenecks and ensure people can access the training and support they need to succeed.”
The 2025 Workforce Plan, titled High Load, Short Supply – Bridging the Gap to 2030, was developed with input from more than 280 organisations nationwide.
It sets out 31 targeted actions to lift workforce capacity, capability, culture and industry confidence.
They include:
- Expanding training infrastructure and trainer numbers, reducing wait times for apprentices • Supporting employers to take on more apprentices
- Improving support for mature-aged apprentices
- Upskilling the existing workforce
- Increasing diversity in the energy workforce
- Developing a National Career Progression Framework for the VET sector
- Updating National Training Packages to keep pace with clean energy technologies
The PSO notes that Australia’s energy workforce foundations are strong, with significant progress to date.
There are currently more than 300,000 workers in energy trades, up 20 per cent since 2010.
Record numbers of apprentices are currently in training including women and First Nations people and governments have a strong focus on investment in energy apprenticeships and training.
To date the government has invested $91 million towards skilling the clean energy workforce and has provided fee-free TAFE.
The Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, who attended the report launch, agreed there were challenges ahead.
“We need to continue to work together – governments, industry, unions and other stakeholders – to get more apprentices into Australia’s energy sector,” he said.
“Our government’s New Energy Apprenticeship Program is seeing more Australians signing up to work in the sector, and we’re making a $30 million investment in our VET trainer workforce that will help grow the number of electrical VET teachers.”
Representing the RAC sector at a national level, ARC CEO Glenn Evans met directly with both Giles and Middleton to discuss the growing need for skilled refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) professionals.
Evans highlighted the recent surge in RAC trainee licences, positioning ARC as a key contributor to the national workforce pipeline.
“The increase in RAC trainees is a strong signal that our sector is responding to the challenge,” Evans said.
According to ARC’s data, over 8,000 trainee licences were issued in the 2024/25 financial year, an encouraging trend that reflects growing interest in the sector and the success of targeted outreach.
ARC has been at the centre of career promotion campaigns, working closely with training providers and supporting initiatives such as WorldSkills Australia and the NextGen ‘Top 20 under 25’ campaign introduced by CCN.