South West Technical and Further Education (SWTAFE) is collaborating with industry partners to design vocational training programs aimed at addressing critical skills shortages in Australia’s clean energy transition.
As part of the initial industry consultation panel, Debra Dumesny, Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer for GPGA, was invited to contribute her insights.
The forum brought together representatives from organisations involved in the design, construction, and integration of clean energy projects into Australia’s power distribution network.
A critical shortage of skilled workers was identified across all stages of clean energy projects—from early community and stakeholder engagement to the full operation and ongoing maintenance of facilities.
Debra highlighted the real-world challenges encountered during the construction of the Ryan Corner and Hawkesdale wind farms, particularly in sourcing a local workforce. She emphasised that employing local workers is vital to securing social licence and ensuring a project’s success—not only by delivering economic benefits to local communities, but also by helping to address the demand for short-term accommodation during construction.
