The first in our 3-part series looking at the clean energy jobs of the future with UOW’s Energy Futures Network Director, Ty Christopher.
The University of Wollongong is gearing up to train the clean energy workforce of the future, with a three-point plan to educate students, career changers and the public at its new Energy Futures Skills Centre.
Federal government funding for the centre was announced in May 2022 and approved in February this year.
“The University of Wollongong has received confirmation of $10 million funding under the public priority community infrastructure program, PCIP,” said UOW’s Energy Futures Network Director, Ty Christopher.
“TAFE Wollongong have also received $2.5 million and we're working collaboratively with them to jointly develop these skills and training facilities.”
The funding will cover refit of existing buildings, extensions, laboratories and equipment that UOW and TAFE will share to train everyone from engineers to tradespeople for clean energy jobs.
“We'll be using these as soon as they're built,” Ty said.
The project is estimated to take 18 months from start to ribbon-cutting.
Workforce of the future
UOW will be building new training centre laboratories on its Northfields campus, towards the southern end.
“The first step is uplifting significantly the volume of people who are trained in the disciplines that are needed to service the renewables industry,” Ty said.
“It's not just offshore wind, it's renewables in general. We need tradespeople and we need engineers. Like there's no tomorrow.”
Helping people change careers and take on clean energy jobs is a key goal of the Energy Future Skills Centre.
“This will involve training and bridging courses for people who are already in fossil fuel-based ‘sunset’ industries,” Ty said. “Coal mining is obviously the topical one here, particularly with the recent announcement regarding Russell Vale.”
The colliery – which dates from 1887 – closed in February, with the ABC reporting about 200 people had lost their jobs.
UOW’s new centre will aim to attract already skilled workers like miners by offering clean energy courses that are flexible in time and space, thanks to the hybrid study modes and virtual lecture technology pioneered in the pandemic.
It’s a change that has to be carefully managed, not just from a training perspective but on a societal level too, Ty believes.
“The transitioning of a workforce is not just about the workers,” he said. “This is about entire families, their livelihoods and their futures.
“The last thing I want to see ever happen in our society is for coal miners to be treated like Vietnam veterans, most of whom were conscripted to go and fight in a war that many people back home did not agree with. And they, as individuals, were then ostracised and punished upon their return. Yet all they did was serve their country.
“I think there's a lesson to be learned there for society. By all means, be in favour of renewables, by all means enthusiastically encourage the transition away from fossil fuels. But as soon as that manifests in people getting their hate on for coal miners, it's crossed a line.
“My dad was a coal miner when he first came to Australia. For local people, in particular those who grew up in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, this is a very important and sensitive issue. These were your neighbours; these were your parents – none of them went into the coal mine to destroy a planet. They went into a coal mine to provide for their families.
“So embrace them – talk to them, work with them and respect them for that. Talking about the transition of workforces into renewables through that lens, I think, is far healthier. Because we're not talking numbers here. We're not even talking workers.
“We're talking families that are at stake.”
A Science Space for everyone
For everyone eager to learn about the clean energy revolution, the existing Science Space centre will be expanded to share the story of change.
“Change is constant, and yet it's the one thing we don't like,” Ty said. “Sheldon Cooper says it best, if you're a fan of [TV show] The Big Bang Theory, he said, ‘People tell you change will be all right. But it's not.’”
This part of the plan will involve a major refit of the popular Science Space at UOW’s Innovation Campus. Don’t worry kids, this will not involve removing the dinosaurs.
“That would be a very bad move.
“The idea is to have something there that is open to all, appealing to all ages; trying to provide information to demystify the energy system and energy transition.
“We're looking for something that's going to be as appealing to the University of the Third Age participants as it is to kindergarten children.”
Funding will be spent on covering the Science Space roof with solar panels and installing a large battery, to demonstrate the power of clean energy and cut the building’s operating costs.
“There will be a live energy management and monitoring system for the actual facility itself,” Ty said. “So that'll be an exhibit, showing how the energy's flowing in the building that you are standing in right now, and how it's all working in a real lived sense.”
There are also plans to run energy literacy programs for small to medium-sized businesses to give owners the knowledge and confidence they need to invest in clean energy solutions.
While the funding is a big step for the Illawarra, with the Skills Centre set to open in 2025, it’s not an immediate fix.
In the meantime, local initiatives – like Hi Neighbour, founded by actor Yael Stone following Black Summer – have a role to play in helping people upskill.
“Hi Neighbour are doing a great job. Their business model is brilliant. Basically, they are funding businesses to put solar on their buildings. And then the returns from that funding, if you like, the interest on the loan is then put into a pool that offers scholarships to people to transition into the clean energy workforce.
“The key thing they need is somewhere to train people. And that’s what TAFE and UOW are here for.”
Read more in Engineer yourself a future and Watch the rise of clean energy jobs