Help Wanted: Australia Short 70,000 Electrical Apprentices for Renewable Transition

The National Electrical and Communications Association says only 52 percent of apprentices currently complete their training, and women are under-represented.

A man fixes a neon sign board displayed outside a building in Sydney on Feb. 3, 2015. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Australia urgently needs 70,000 more electrical apprentices if the government is going to meet the targets of its residential electrification strategy, the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) told the Senate Standing Committee on Economics on Feb. 21.

Australia needs to electrify 500 homes every day and triple the pace of retrofitting non-residential buildings to meet its 2050 target of net zero operational carbon emissions, according to a Green Building Council of Australia report.