Renewables boom to trigger massive trade recruitment drive

Renewables boom to drive trigger massive trade RECRUITMENT

THERE IS MUCH BUZZ AROUND THE FORECAST EXPLOSION IN RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS OVER THE NEXT 25 YEARS.

Queensland is poised to install up to $13.9 billion in renewable energy projects each year from now to 2050, with most of this activity destined for the regions. But Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) has warned there will be challenges to delivering the pipeline of renewable projects that are currently working through the approvals processes Queensland’s Renewable Future forecasts massive acceleration in the installation of renewable energy assets, triggering a step change in Queensland’s construction activity. The report projects that renewables will add 30-55 per cent to Queensland’s baseline engineering construction demand. This demand will drive a parallel step-change in construction labour – an estimated 14,500 to 26,700 new construction jobs will be directly created by Queensland’s renewables build-out. CSQ CEO, Brett Schimming warns the huge economic opportunity presented by the renewables boom may not be realised without the necessary workforce on the ground. “The appetite for investing in Queensland’s renewable future is strong; we have support from government, proponents lining up with their projects; and the strongest ever case for transition of our energy market,” Brett said. “But all of these important elements still rely on having an available renewable workforce to physically deliver the projects in their locations. “For an industry that is already suffering major labour shortages, being on the cusp of an explosion of new activity raises important questions around training and recruitment. “What kind of strategy are we going to need to attract and develop these new local workforces? “How do we provide security to investors and give them peace of mind that projects won’t suffer the cost and timing blow-outs created by skills shortages? The CSQ report uses CSIRO modelling to project the construction and workforce impacts of three different renewable takeup scenarios, based on the role that green hydrogen ultimately plays in the Queensland economy. “Green hydrogen will be the ‘hinge’ of Queensland’s renewable transition, determining the scale of renewables investment and the construction consequences,” Brett said. “Yet, even in the most conservative modelled scenario, the impacts of Queensland’s renewables boom are going to be huge, particularly for the identified regional epicentres,” he said. Most renewables projects will be built in regional Queensland. Between 62 and 96 per cent of investment will be spread across three areas – Northern, Central and SouthWest Queensland. “This is very much a regional story,” Brett said. The report describes the kinds of jobs that will dominate the renewables construction workforce. Three-quarters of these jobs are trade roles. The industry will need to mobilise an ongoing additional 15-25 per cent of workers in these occupations to deliver renewables. The top five occupations needed to deliver renewables projects are identified as: labourers, concreters, truck drivers, electricians and earthmoving plant operators.