Report: Quantifying entire energy workforce will aid in planning and training
Australia and the world need a new approach to counting employment in the energy sector, according to a new report.
Instead of surveying jobs in different parts of the energy sector at different times and in different ways, a single coordinated survey of the entire energy industry from energy production to use should be undertaken.
This is one of the key findings of the new report Developing the Future Energy Workforce which sets out a detailed research roadmap for measuring and developing employment in the energy sector over the next decade.
The report is one of the first outputs of the recently established Reliable Affordable Clean Energy Cooperative Research Centre (RACE for 2030), a 10-year, $350 million collaboration of Australian industry and researchers supported by the Commonwealth Government.
RACE for 2030 is an industry led collaborative research centre established in July 2020 with $68.5M of Commonwealth Government funding.
“Whether you are installing solar panels, mining resources, working the phones for a power company, or upgrading lighting in a home or air conditioning in an office, or managing flexible loads on a manufacturing site, you are helping to meet Australia’s energy needs. Monitoring the energy workforce in a consistent way will help government and industry to plan for and meet the needs of this crucial and rapidly evolving sector,” said Professor Greg Morrison, Program Leader for RACE for Everyone.
In addition to considering how to measure the energy workforce, the report addresses other key questions about Australia’s energy sector, including, how training and skills can be fit for the future, and how to strengthen Australia’s innovation pathways and foster successful start-up companies in the sector.
