The Victorian Government is helping Gippsland’s existing and future energy workforce upskill to take advantage of the state’s burgeoning offshore wind industry.
According to the State Government, its ‘Transition Opportunities: Coal to Offshore Wind’ guide shows how workers from Gippsland’s coal power plants can transition into Victoria’s offshore wind sector.
The report, funded by the government and delivered by Energy Australia alongside education providers, maps out the training pathways needed for roles like coastal engineers, welders, turbine technicians and cable technicians.
“We’re taking workers with us through every step of the transition to net zero and these transferable skills and training opportunities are key to helping them prepare for the future,” Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said.
Over half the workers at the Yallourn power station possess skills and qualifications readily transferable to offshore wind jobs, the report finds. A boilermaker, for instance, could retrain for offshore roles in as little as two weeks through TAFE Gippsland short courses.
The findings align with Victoria’s targets of developing at least 2 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2032, 4GW by 2035 and 9GW by 2040.
Twelve Commonwealth offshore wind feasibility licences have already been granted for Gippsland projects that could generate 25GW and create 15,000 jobs during construction and 7500 ongoing.
“Through our investments in skills and training across our TAFE system, we are delivering a successful, structured transition that ensures workers in traditional energy sectors can access decent jobs in new renewable energy industries,” Victorian Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney said.
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