The Andrews Labor Government is growing Victoria’s clean energy workforce and upskilling Victorians to take advantage of jobs in the booming renewables sector.

Plumbers and fourth-year plumbing apprentices can gain specialist solar skills, thanks to a new training pilot announced by the Labor Government.

The Government via Solar Victoria has engaged the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre (PICAC) to develop and run training and upskilling for plumbers.

The targeted training will support Victorian plumbing industry workers to gain specialised new skills in both the design and installation of heat pumps and solar hot water systems.

Following an evaluation of the pilot, plumbers and fourth-year apprentices will be able to access free training from the end of this year through to late 2023.

The training is part of a suite of new initiatives in the Government’s $11 million training and workforce development package, which is aimed at upskilling workers to take advantage of the state’s transition to net zero.

Any eligible plumbing professionals keen to develop skills in designing and installing heat pumps and solar hot water systems are encouraged to keep an eye on the Solar Victoria website for further details on how to enrol in the training.

Training will be available in a blended format of face-to-face and online learning across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Since it began in 2018, the Labor Government’s $1.3 billion Solar Homes Program has helped more than 200,000 Victorian households install solar PV systems, batteries, solar hot water and heat pumps.

This investment has already cut Victoria’s carbon emissions by 1.6 million tonnes – equivalent to the emissions produced by 500,000 cars each year. Solar Victoria will also support 5,500 clean energy jobs by 2028. Household solar is expected to generate 12.5 per cent of Victoria’s 40 per cent renewable energy target by 2025.

For further information, please visit solar.vic.gov.au/upskilling-plumbers.

Quotes attributable to Minister Solar Homes Lily D’Ambrosio

“Victoria’s solar and renewable energy sector is booming and demand for a skilled workforce will grow significantly over the next decade, as we target a 50 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.’’

“This is an excellent opportunity for Victoria’s plumbing workforce to upskill for the transition to solar and heat pump hot water for free and I encourage all who are eligible to enrol when the training opens.”