The State Government has identified the skills needed for Australia’s growing battery industries, which could create 35,000 jobs and contribute more than $7 billion to the national economy by 2030.
Prepared for the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre by South Metropolitan TAFE, the ‘Vocational skills gap assessment and workforce development plan’ identifies what new skills and knowledge are needed.
The plan found most skills needed by future battery industries are covered by current TAFE packages, but identified some new training units were required to cater for new jobs. These include:
- skills to maintain automation systems;
- artificial intelligence and big data;
- electrical and mechanical skills;
- first responders, electricians and mechanics trained in electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems; and
- new skills for recycling facility workers in the safe handling of lithium-ion batteries.
South Metropolitan TAFE’s Munster Campus will play a key role in training Western Australians for these future jobs and currently trains electricians in battery energy storage system installation, and in light automotive (mechanics) to de-power and initialise electric vehicles.
North Metropolitan TAFE is training Western Power and Horizon Power workers to install and maintain stand-alone power systems, and is training mining workers in minerals extraction - to process battery minerals.
With demand for batteries set to 10-fold in the next decade, the plan identifies which national training package qualifications cover the vocational skills and knowledge needed in Australia’s future battery industries.