Victoria Labor pledges $6m to expand wind energy training facility

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has pledged $6 million to support the expansion of the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre, to train workers in skills essential to the state’s energy transition.

Announced as part of the Labor Party’s campaign launch for the 2022 Victorian election, the $6 million pledge is part of a larger $50 million TAFE Clean Energy Fund.

The fund supports the Gippsland Tafe, South West Tafe and Federation Tafe with a range of initiatives focused on renewable energy jobs. The Labor Party hopes it will create 59,000 jobs in clean energy.

The $6 million in funding for the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC), located at Federation Tafe, will deliver a new classroom, workshop, and training equipment.

The Stage 2 “state-of-the-art” education centre will offer specialised training in skills like wind turbine maintenance and blade repair and in research-led innovative diagnostics.

Stage 1 of the APRETC was established in November 2021 and included construction of a 23-metre wind turbine training tower, the first facility of its kind in the country (pictured above).

Located at Federation Tafe’s Mount Helen Campus, APRETC is backed by industry partners such as Vestas, ACCIONA, and Tilt Renewables.

Building a renewable workforce

When completed, APRETC aims to support the training and development of 6,500 students over a 10-year period to help fill out the state’s burgeoning need for renewable energy workers.

“[The funding announcement] recognises the growing demand for renewable energy workers and the role that the education sector has in transitioning the state to a clean energy future,” said Professor Duncan Bentley, Federation University vice-chancellor and president.

“The demand for renewable energy technicians is set to rise dramatically and the expansion of our APRETC facility – the first of its kind in Australia – will allow Federation to train local technicians to meet the skill demands of our state’s energy providers.

“The expansion of APRETC is the latest example of Federation’s co-operative education model, where we collaborate with local employers and industry to develop a pipeline of highly skilled graduates to support the needs of emerging sectors.”