The Ai Group Centre for Education and Training was pleased to participate in the development process for the National Energy Workforce Strategy (NEWS). The strategy is being tailored to address key challenges for the energy industry workforce including attracting and retaining workers and improving coordination.

Our response highlighted the need for improved coordination to ensure that both current and future initiatives are coherent and consistently address the workforce needs of the energy industry. This involves not only monitoring implementation but also identifying any gaps. We also note that the skilling challenge for the energy sector intersects with existing shortages and unmet demand for key occupations across the Australian economy, such as construction, manufacturing and defence.