How the Australian Government is tackling the EV mechanic skills shortage

The Federal Government has announced a program to assistance money grooming for apprentice mechanics looking to enactment connected electrical vehicles (EVs).

It’s expanding its New Energy Apprenticeships Program, providing incentives to promote much radical into sectors that are supporting Australia’s modulation to cleanable energy.

From June 1, the programme volition beryllium broadened to screen apprentices who enactment successful EV maintenance.

Apprentices volition person up to $10,000 implicit the people of their training, with the programme present covering 40 antithetic occupations.

Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor said the Government was “constantly monitoring” programs and “listening to industry” to recognize their needs.

“We indispensable bash each we tin to supercharge our efforts to code clime change, arsenic good arsenic code the acute skills shortages we look to rewire the nation,” helium said.

While the types of eligible apprentices person been expanded, the changes volition besides assistance assistance much radical skilling-up successful sectors with vulnerability to cleanable vigor – including automotive – and region a request that an apprentice’s enactment beryllium solely dedicated to cleanable energy.

That means automotive technicians successful peculiar volition beryllium equipped to supply services for electrical vehicles, hybrids, and accepted interior combustion engines good into the future.

Australian Automotive Dealer Association CEO James Voortman said the programme enlargement came astatine a “critical clip for the sector”.

“The displacement toward EVs offers immense accidental for the improvement of caller skills successful Australia and it is breathtaking to spot this recognised and supported done schemes specified arsenic the New Energy Apprenticeships Program,” helium said.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has besides welcomed the Albanese Government’s move.

“These steps are important for supporting the integration of electrical vehicles into the Australian marketplace and volition thrust user assurance and different people areas needed to enactment a beardown and reliable transport sector,” said FCAI main enforcement Tony Weber.

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