Group Training Addressing Industry’s Skill Shortages

GROUP TRAINING

ADDreSSING INDUStrY’S SKILLS SHOrtAGeS With the general freeze on migration into Australia, current and future skills shortages have become a key discussion point for businesses across all industries. Within the electrical industry, NECA Training and Apprenticeships is working to build its apprenticeship numbers to strengthen our workforce now and into the future. NECA Training and Apprenticeships is a not-for-profit registered group training organisation (GTO) owned by NECA. With offices in Sydney, Brisbane and the ACT, we currently have 790 apprentices placed with host employers and gaining experience in the diverse range of work that NECA members offer. Group training offers a range of benefits over self-employing apprentices:  Flexible labour to cope with your peak and quiet times.  Simple and competitive pay rates that take the full cost of employment into account. This includes college studies, all types of leave, workers compensation, superannuation, tax, RDOs and more.  The opportunity to ensure apprentices fit with your team and the type of work you do - if they don’t quite fit, NECA will find an apprentice that does.  All recruitment and retention risks belong to NECA, not you as the host employer.  Apprentices turn up ready to work with a full uniform, PPE and initial safety training.  Field Officers work with you to understand your needs, mentor apprentices and address any issues that may arise. Unlike many competitors, NECA’s Field Officers are all experienced electricians drawn from the contracting industry.  NECA manages the complexities of the national training system. This is a great option for specialist businesses who are unable to provide the full range of apprenticeship training. Apprentices can be easily moved, ensuring they get a well-rounded experience while your business has the labour it needs. Businesses of all sizes can access the flexibility and benefits of group training. Our current host employers include the full range from small family companies to the industry’s largest contractors. As testament to the success of group training, some of our current hosts are now run by former NECA apprentices who’ve experienced the value of group training first-hand.

NSW/ACT BRANCH Apprenticeship recruitment now open

For more than three decades NECA Training and Apprenticeships has supported industry with a strong, qualified workforce. Our robust recruiting system identifies apprentices who are dedicated and passionate about our industry, resulting in completion rates that are well above the industry average. Over 95% of our apprentices gain employment with our host employers after their apprenticeship, demonstrating that NECA’s apprentices are highly-valued by industry. We are currently recruiting apprentices who will be ready to work in your business. As the business landscape changes To find out more and enquire about rapidly, it was great to see how the team becoming a host, call your local NECA office came together to adapt and innovate or email contact@necatraining.com.au. so that the learning environment could continue without disruption. The ability to change rapidly was noticed by industry and even picked up by the media, including an article in the SMH where NECA was praised for our ability to adapt, and recognised for our efforts in re-homing 100 apprentices. It was great that electrical contracting was deemed an essential service, which helps to keep demand high. While many training providers have closed their doors due to COVID 19, leaving apprentices and their employers in limbo, NECA Training and Apprenticeships quickly modified its schedule so learning could continue. All theory lessons were moved online, and the number of apprentices attending practical lessons was reduced to adhere to social distancing requirements. NECA Training and Apprenticeships’ approach meant minimal disruption to Electrical contractors are recognised as providing an essential service, so they can continue working under current government rules and are set to play a critical role in the economic recovery as governments invest in infrastructure and construction. Demand for electrical work and the apprentices’ skills is, therefore, remaining relatively strong. Recognising this, NECA Training and Apprenticeships moved quickly to convert its post-trade courses, so qualified electricians could continue to upskill – for example, with solar grid connect and battery storage training – and maintain key qualifications. In NSW, this includes ASP (Accredited Service Provider) training, which allows an electrical contractor to work on the electricity network, often undertaking maintenance that is critical to keeping the lights on. NECA Training and Apprenticeships employs nearly 800 apprentices and then partners with electrical contracting businesses, who provide on-the-job experience. The success of NECA Training and Apprenticeships’ model has minimised the impact on the fledgling careers of the apprentices. While some apprentice opportunities have disappeared, such as those servicing businesses in the hospitality sector, new opportunities have emerged, such as hospital projects. With group training systems like NECA’s, apprentices can continue to learn through periods of major change.

Tom Emeleus Tom Emeleus

General Manager, NECA Training and Apprenticeships General Manager, NECA Training and Apprenticeships www.necatraining.com.au www.necatraining.com.au (02) 9188 4424

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Access Canberra Electrical Inspections Team

 (02) 6207 7775

8:30am to 4:30pm Business Days  electrical.inspections@act.gov.au  www.ccesscanberra.act.gov.au

COmpLIANCe StAtemeNt FOr mAIN SWItCHbOA SEPTEMBER 2020rDS GreAter tHAN 125 AmpS

Access Canberra electrical inspections require a Compliance Statement for a Main Switchboard (MSB) where, a) The total of the connected load at the point where the MSB is installed exceeds 125A r.m.s per phase; or b) The prospective short-circuit current at the incoming terminals of the

MSB is greater than 10kA r.m.s. The switchboard compliance requirement is found in AS/NZS 3000:2018 A2 clause 2.10.3.2 Electricians are required to submit a completed statement from their switchboard manufacture with their Certificate of Electrical Safety (CES), and to have the statement available on site.

The compliance statement form can be downloaded from our website, and is titled “Fact Sheet - Switchboards 61439 Compliance Statement” at www.bit.ly/act61439