This page provides information and data on the Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector, which is a component of the Electrotechnology industry.
The Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector includes the design, installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems and battery storage devices for both commercial and domestic markets. The Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector workforce is employed in industries such as Construction Services and Electricity Supply.
Vocational education and training (VET) is required for Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector related occupations such as:
Nationally recognised training for the Renewable and Sustainable Energy sector is delivered under the UEE – Electrotechnology Training Package.
For information on Electrical Engineering, Electrical Services, Electronics and Computers, Industrial Control, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, ESI Generation, and ESI Transmission Distribution and Rail sectors please visit the respective pages.
All data sources are available at the end of the page.
The employment level for the occupation of Electricians has increased almost 84% since 2002, and although there have been fluctuations levels have increased to a peak in 2022 of 174,900. Employment levels are however expected to decrease over the next four years until 2026, down to 157,700.
Program enrolments in Renewable and Sustainable Energy related qualifications have decreased almost three quarters (73%) since 2017, with approximately 208 program enrolments during 2021. Program completions have fluctuated during this time, and decreased sharply in 2021 to a low of just under 60 in 2021.
During 2022, almost two thirds of enrolments were at the diploma or higher level (64%) with the remaining occurring at the certificate II level (21%) and certificate IV level (14%). All diploma and higher level enrolments were in Engineering Technology – Renewable Energy (Advanced Diploma) with the sole intended occupation of Electrotechnology and Telecommunications Trades Workers. In addition, all certificate II level enrolments were in the Certificate II in Sustainable Energy, with the intended occupation of Electrical or Telecommunications Trades Assistant. The majority of certificate IV level enrolments were in Certificate IV in Renewable Energy / Certificate IV in Electrical - Renewable Energy with the intended occupation of Electrician (Special Class).
TAFE institutes provided over half of the training for enrolments in Renewable and Sustainable Energy related qualifications in 2021 (56%). While TAFE provided the majority of the training for Certificate II in Sustainable Energy (77%) and in Engineering Technology - Renewable Energy (Advanced Diploma) at 61%, the certificate IV qualifications were solely provided by private training providers (100%).
During 2021, 98% of subjects delivered by TAFE institutes were funded via international fee for service, while 70% of subject funding for private training providers was from domestic fee for service.
The majority of students who enrolled in Renewable and Sustainable Energy related qualifications during 2021 were from overseas (67%), while or Queensland (also 46%). Similarly, training was predominantly delivered in Queensland (47%) and overseas (46%).
For more data specific to your occupation, industry group or training package, visit NCVER’s Data Builder.
For more data specific to your region visit NCVER’s Atlas of Total VET.
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As the rate of solar installation continues to grow in Australia and advancements are made in related technologies, the skills needed by Electrotechnology workers must also evolve. Renewable technologies are predicted to create more than 60,000 jobs over the next ten years, and workers will require the necessary skills for the installation and maintenance of solar systems. The Electrotechnology IRC’s 2021 Industry Outlook notes there are currently 76 large-scale wind and solar projects under construction which will create job opportunities for the Electrotechnology workforce in the operation and maintenance of renewable systems.
According to a survey by the Institute for Sustainable Futures and commissioned by the Clean Energy Council, in 2019 at least 25,000 people were employed across renewable energy supply chains and almost 10,000 of those were in rooftop solar. Although construction and installation jobs now dominate the renewable energy labour market, by 2035 as many as half of renewable energy jobs could be ongoing jobs in operation and maintenance and around 75 per cent of renewable energy job opportunities could be distributed across regional and rural Australia.
Further highlighting the growth of the renewable energy industry, is the Clean Energy Australia Report 2021 which identifies that in 2020 more than 27 per cent of Australia’s electricity came from clean energy sources, with wind and rooftop solar leading the way. A further 76 large-scale wind and solar projects were under construction at the end of 2020, representing more than 8 GW of new capacity and employing over 9000 Australian workers. The Climate Council of Australia’s Clean Jobs Plan provides twelve policy opportunities to deliver 76,000 jobs that re-engineer our energy system, renew industries and restore our environment after bushfires and COVID-19.
Of the approaches used to build a workforce equipped with the skills required, the Project Agreement for Energising Tasmania provides an example. This agreement has set out to generate the capability of Tasmania’s workforce with the priority skills needed to support the Battery of the Nation initiative, predominantly through development of a range of new funds and setup of a advisory group.
A second example is Victoria’s Federation University building a wind turbine training tower with the aim of preparing students for employment in the renewable sector. With the build officially opened in March 2022, the 23m training tower will simulate the features of a working turbine with the capacity for 350 students to learn real-life skills each year.
Research conducted into what is required to grow and sustain the Hydrogen industry in Australia revealed that a large-scale Hydrogen production, transport and export industry, will require a mix of new roles - necessitated by the introduction of new technologies, and traditional roles that have been a part of the LNG/CSG industries. Specialist skills that will support the hydrogen industry, in the areas of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry and physics will have to be maintained and expanded to meet the growing demand.
For an analysis of Electrotechnology IRC priority skills and job vacancy data, see the Electrotechnology industry cluster page.
Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.
Electrotechnology IRC
Electrotechnology IRC’s 2020 Skills Forecast (abridged annual update)
Australian Industry Standards – Skilled Service Organisation.
Australia's First Training Wind Turbine Ballarat-Bound – Energy Magazine
Clean Energy Australia Report 2021 – Clean Energy Council
Clean Jobs Plan: How 76,000 New Jobs for Australians Can Help Rebuild Our Economy Now and Tackle Climate Change - Climate Council of Australia
Energy Efficiency Employment in Australia – Green Energy Markets for the Energy Efficiency Council and the Energy Savings Industry Association 2019
Interim Research Report: Hydrogen Industry - Job Roles, Skills, Qualifications and Experience – Energy Skills Queensland
Renewable Energy Jobs in Australia: Stage One - Institute for Sustainable Futures
Renewables Job Numbers Hit Three-Year High – Led by Australia’s Coal States – Sophie Vorrath for Renew Economy
ANZETA Electrotechnology Training Alliance
National Electrical and Communications Association
NSW Utilities & Electrotechnology Industry Training Advisory Body
Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council
National Skills Commission 2022, Occupation Employment Projections viewed 10 August 2022, https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/topics/employment-projections
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2022, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2022, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2022
Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:
UEE/UEE11 Electrotechnology Training Package
This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.
Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:
Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions, please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.
Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. This can lead to situations where the total sum of proportions in a chart may not add up to exactly 100%.
UEE/UEE11 Electrotechnology Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:
