This fellowship report was authored by Peter Schreiner from TAFE NSW. In 2023, Peter was honoured with the inaugural Australian VET Sustainability Fellowship for Vocational Education & Training, enabling him the opportunity to travel abroad to research new skills and best practice. The fellowship: a partnership between VDC and the International Specialised Skills Institute (ISSI), explored Australian initiatives aimed at decarbonising energy generation, and “investigated local and international energy storage technologies and associated job roles and skills within the manufacturing supply chain.”

His fellowship report pointed out that:

  1. There is a significant shortage of skilled workers in the energy storage manufacturing sector. Globally, this gap is projected to widen as the industry grows.
  2. The specific skills required for energy storage manufacturing, such as advanced electrical engineering and materials science, electro chemistry, are not sufficiently emphasised in current educational and training programs.
  3. There are notable geographic disparities in the distribution of training programs, with significant concentrations in urban areas, leading to accessibility issues for rural populations.
  4. The sector shows a lower level of diversity compared to other industries, which could benefit from inclusive recruitment and retention strategies.

The report also highlights a number of personal, professional and sectoral benefits from the fellowship.

Peter makes a number of recommendations, including:

  • Developing specialised courses and certifications in energy storage technologies in the vocational education and training as well as the higher education sectors
  • Fostering partnerships between industry leaders and academic institutions to ensure curriculum relevance and provide practical experience
  • Implementing government-funded incentives to encourage businesses to invest in training programs and apprenticeships and finally,
  • Increasing outreach efforts to underrepresented groups and rural communities to broaden the potential workforce pool.

To learn more about the VDC Australian VET Sustainability Fellowship for Vocational Education & Training, follow the link here.