This report provides a comprehensive, year-by-year analysis of the workforce required to deliver the National Energy Network (NEN) project as outlined in the revised policy proposal. The analysis concludes that while the project's headline figure of creating 150,000 direct jobs is credible within the context of a nation-building infrastructure program, the primary challenge is not the total number of workers. Instead, the project's feasibility is contingent on the unprecedented speed at which a highly specific, vocationally-qualified workforce must be scaled in sectors already facing chronic, systemic skills shortages.
The analysis projects that peak workforce demand will occur in Years 4-5, driven by the mass deployment phase requiring an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 field staff for installations, alongside a significant ramp-up of manufacturing and logistics personnel. This represents a more than tenfold increase from the initial mobilisation phase in under four years, a velocity that will place extreme pressure on the national labour market.
The most significant constraint on the NEN's timeline is the pre-existing national shortage of electricians, electrotechnology trades, and critical engineering professionals. The project's immense demand for these roles will significantly exceed the current capacity of Australia's Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, which itself suffers from a shortage of qualified trainers and a lack of modern equipment for clean energy training. Without immediate and substantial intervention, this skills gap represents the single greatest risk to the project's schedule and budget.
The NEN's parallel industrial strategy to build a sovereign manufacturing capability for batteries and other key components, while creating valuable long-term jobs, introduces significant execution risk. This strategy creates a critical path dependency where the installation timeline becomes contingent on the on-time, on-budget completion of multiple new gigafactories. This effectively swaps external market risks, such as import price volatility, for internal execution risks related to large-scale industrial construction.
A "just transition" for Australia's approximately 71,000-strong fossil fuel workforce is found to be technically feasible due to the high degree of skills transferability into the renewable energy sector. However, the analysis concludes that this is fundamentally a challenge of regional economic development, not merely individual retraining. The geographical concentration of the fossil fuel workforce requires a deliberate, place-based industrial strategy to co-locate new manufacturing opportunities in transitioning communities to avoid creating stranded assets and workforces.
Consequently, this report's primary recommendations centre on immediate, decisive government action. This includes the establishment of a federally-funded national training and apprenticeship drive to rapidly expand the pipeline of skilled trades. It necessitates targeted VET sector reform to increase capacity and agility, including the creation of an accelerated 18-month "Solar Installation (Restricted) Licence" to meet peak demand, with clear pathways for graduates to transition to a full electrical licence. A focused skilled migration stream for critical energy trades will be essential to bridge the initial workforce gap. Finally, the establishment of a national Transition Authority is recommended to coordinate the complex mobilisation of the workforce and ensure the socio-economic challenges of transitioning fossil fuel-dependent communities are managed effectively and equitably.
This section provides a top-down validation of the National Energy Network (NEN) proposal's headline job creation figures. By disaggregating the total workforce into its constituent categories and benchmarking these against established industry data, a clear picture emerges of the scale and composition of the labour force required for this transformative national project.
The NEN policy proposal estimates the creation of 150,000 direct and 300,000 indirect jobs over its nine-year implementation and subsequent operational lifecycle.1 These figures position the NEN as one of the most significant job-creation initiatives in Australian history, warranting a thorough validation of their underlying assumptions. The direct jobs figure represents personnel directly employed in the construction, manufacturing, management, and maintenance of the network. The indirect figure is derived from standard economic multipliers, accounting for employment generated in the vast supply chains that will support the project, as well as induced employment from the increased economic activity and consumer spending driven by the project's workforce.1
The scale of this employment forecast represents a monumental expansion of Australia's existing clean energy sector. The Clean Energy Council estimates that the sector currently employs approximately 30,000 people, with a potential for an additional 40,000 jobs within the decade if all projects in the existing pipeline proceed.2 The NEN project alone would therefore quintuple the size of the current direct clean energy workforce. While ambitious, the 2:1 ratio of indirect to direct jobs is plausible, particularly given the project's deep integration with a new domestic manufacturing base, which creates more extensive and higher-value supply chains than a purely import-based model.3 A 2021 report from Global Access Partners on a proposed National Reconstruction Investment Plan estimated a lower multiplier of approximately 1.3 indirect jobs for every direct job; however, that plan was broader and less focused on catalysing a specific, vertically-integrated manufacturing ecosystem. The NEN's higher multiplier reflects the intention to capture more economic value onshore.
The 150,000 direct jobs can be logically disaggregated into four primary categories, each corresponding to a distinct phase or function of the NEN's lifecycle, as detailed in the policy proposal and its appendices.1
Data from mature international markets and existing Australian projects provides a valuable benchmark for assessing the NEN's employment projections. In a recent year, the much larger U.S. solar industry employed 279,447 workers. A critical finding from the U.S. National Solar Jobs Census is that the "Installation & Project Development" sector is by far the largest employer, accounting for 64% of the total workforce, or approximately 178,812 jobs.4 This external data strongly supports the NEN model's implicit assumption that the installation and deployment phase will be the primary driver of direct job creation.
Data from the Clean Energy Council on utility-scale projects in Australia, while not a direct comparison to the NEN's distributed model, offers insight into the ratio of construction to operational jobs. A typical 300 MW utility-scale solar project creates an estimated 630 construction jobs but only 33 long-term O&M positions.2 This high ratio of temporary construction work to permanent operational roles is a common feature of large infrastructure projects. The NEN's model, however, aims to mitigate this "boom-bust" cycle by creating a permanent manufacturing base and a perpetual "evergreen" replacement cycle, which sustains a much larger O&M and manufacturing workforce long after the initial rollout is complete. The project's structure, therefore, appears deliberately designed to address a known structural weakness in project-based employment.
The core challenge for the NEN is not the total number of jobs it aims to create, but the specific composition of that workforce and the extreme velocity at which it must be mobilised. The project's success hinges on its ability to source and train tens of thousands of skilled tradespeople, particularly electricians, in a very short timeframe. These occupations are already subject to chronic national shortages, a fact acknowledged in numerous industry and government reports.2 This analysis, therefore, moves beyond validating the total job number to focus on the critical bottleneck: the sourcing and training of a specific, VET-qualified workforce at a scale and speed unprecedented in Australia's history.
This section presents the core analysis of the annual workforce required to deliver the National Energy Network (NEN) project, based on the phased nine-year implementation timeline detailed in the policy proposal.1 The model projects a steep but managed "bell curve" of labour demand, highlighting the critical ramp-up period and the subsequent transition to a sustainable, long-term operational workforce.
The year-by-year workforce projections are derived from the annual installation targets specified in the NEN's official implementation schedule.1 The model incorporates several key assumptions to ensure a realistic forecast:
The NEN rollout is structured in three distinct phases, each with unique workforce requirements. The following breakdown details the estimated annual direct workforce needed across key categories to meet the project's targets.
This initial phase is focused on establishing the project's foundations and beginning the critical process of scaling the workforce and supply chains.
This phase represents the peak of construction and installation activity, placing maximum demand on the national labour market.
The final phase sees the completion of the physical rollout and the transition of the NEN into a fully operational national utility.
The nine-year timeline, while strategically de-risked compared to more aggressive scenarios, still presents a formidable workforce mobilisation challenge.1 The project's success is critically dependent on the velocity of the ramp-up between Year 1 and Year 4. This period requires the field installation workforce to grow more than tenfold in under four years. Such a rapid expansion is far beyond the organic capacity of Australia's current VET system to produce qualified tradespeople, particularly given the pre-existing shortage of VET trainers themselves.7 This reality dictates that a massive, federally coordinated and funded national training effort is not merely a complementary policy but a non-negotiable prerequisite that must be initiated well in advance of the project's official Year 1 start date to ensure a sufficient pipeline of skilled labour is available to meet the demands of the initial ramp-up.
The following table provides a consolidated, year-by-year projection of the direct workforce required to meet the NEN's implementation schedule.
| Year | Phase | Annual Installation Target | Cumulative Installations | Estimated Annual Direct Workforce (Installation) | Estimated Annual Direct Workforce (Manufacturing) | Estimated Annual Direct Workforce (Logistics/Admin) | Estimated Annual Direct Workforce (O&M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Foundational | 250,000 | 250,000 | 3,000 - 4,000 | 500 | 1,000 | 250 |
| Year 2 | Ramp-Up | 750,000 | 1,000,000 | 9,000 - 12,000 | 1,500 | 2,000 | 500 |
| Year 3 | Acceleration | 1,500,000 | 2,500,000 | 18,000 - 24,000 | 4,000 | 3,500 | 1,000 |
| Year 4 | Peak | 2,500,000 | 5,000,000 | 30,000 - 40,000 | 8,000 | 5,000 | 2,000 |
| Year 5 | Peak | 2,500,000 | 7,500,000 | 30,000 - 40,000 | 8,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| Year 6 | Taper | 2,000,000 | 9,500,000 | 24,000 - 32,000 | 7,000 | 4,000 | 4,500 |
| Year 7 | Coverage | ~1,840,000 | ~11,340,000 | 22,000 - 29,000 | 6,000 | 3,500 | 6,000 |
| Year 8 | Optimization | - | ~11,340,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 8,000 |
| Year 9 | Full Operation | - | ~11,340,000 | 2,000 | 5,000 | 3,000 | 10,000 |
Note: Workforce figures are estimates based on project targets and industry benchmarks. Manufacturing workforce includes construction of facilities and subsequent production roles. O&M workforce grows as the installed base increases.
The NEN proposal is not merely an energy infrastructure project; it is an ambitious industrial strategy designed to correct a long-standing national failure: the lack of a sovereign clean energy manufacturing capability.1 This strategy, centred on a "Build, Partner, Innovate" model, requires the cultivation of a new, highly skilled industrial workforce. This section analyses the specific labour requirements for each stream of this manufacturing initiative.
The most significant new industrial undertaking within the NEN is the plan to establish a domestic Sodium-Ion (Na-ion) battery industry from the ground up.1 This addresses a critical supply chain vulnerability, as Australia currently imports 100% of its batteries.1 The strategy calls for the creation of a state-owned enterprise, "NEN Battery Co.", to lead this effort, funded by the NEN Sovereign Manufacturing Fund.1
This initiative will require a diverse and highly skilled workforce that does not currently exist at scale in Australia. Key roles will include chemical engineers and materials scientists for cell chemistry and production, process technicians for operating advanced manufacturing equipment, robotics and automation specialists to manage production lines, and quality control experts to ensure battery performance and safety.2
The proposal's "Two-Pronged Strategy" involves both retrofitting existing industrial sites, such as former automotive plants in Geelong or Adelaide, and constructing new "greenfield" gigafactories.1 This creates two distinct waves of employment: an initial surge in construction, civil engineering, and electrical trades to build and retool the factories, followed by a long-term, stable workforce for the operational phase. International benchmarks indicate the scale of this job creation. For instance, the proposed "Project Green Poly" polysilicon facility in Townsville, a project of similar industrial complexity, is projected to generate approximately 4,400 jobs during its construction and operational phases.8 The NEN's plan to build multiple gigafactories suggests a manufacturing workforce numbering in the tens of thousands.
To avoid the significant delays and capital costs associated with building new heavy industrial facilities from scratch, the NEN's industrial strategy wisely proposes to partner with and co-invest in Australia's existing transformer manufacturing base.1 The proposal specifically identifies established domestic manufacturers like Wilson Transformer Company and Tyree Transformers as key partners.
This approach will necessitate a significant workforce expansion within these incumbent companies. The NEN's requirement for 50,000 specialised distribution transformers represents an unprecedented, multi-year order book that will require these firms to scale up their production lines considerably.1 This will drive demand for roles in which these companies already have deep expertise, including electrical and mechanical engineers, skilled metal fabricators and welders, and assembly line workers with experience in heavy electrical equipment. Tyree Transformers, for example, already employs over 390 people at its regional facility in the Southern Highlands of NSW. The NEN's long-term, high-volume contracts would provide the certainty needed to fund a major expansion of this existing skilled regional workforce.
The highest strategic value and intellectual property within the NEN Node lies in its "brain": the AI-powered control system.1 The proposal mandates that this critical technology be developed in-house by a dedicated "NEN Grid-Tech Division" to ensure Australia retains sovereign control over its grid's operating system.
This requires the cultivation of a specialised, high-technology workforce that is in high demand globally. Key roles will include software engineers to write the control code, AI specialists and data scientists to develop the predictive maintenance and load-balancing algorithms, power systems experts to integrate the software with the physical grid, and cybersecurity analysts to protect this critical national infrastructure. Reports on the application of AI in grid management confirm that these skills are essential for optimising investment decisions, improving grid reliability, and enabling the "self-healing" capabilities that are central to the NEN's resilience proposition.
The decision to pursue a domestic manufacturing strategy fundamentally alters the project's risk profile. It creates a critical path dependency where the main installation rollout, particularly from Year 3 onwards, becomes contingent on the successful and timely completion of a parallel, multi-billion-dollar industrial construction program. The proposal itself acknowledges that retrofitting a factory takes two to three years, while a new build can take up to five years.1 The mass deployment of household systems and NEN Nodes is scheduled to accelerate dramatically in Year 3.1 This creates a direct timeline conflict: the domestic factories will only begin producing components at scale at the precise moment the mass deployment requires them. Any delay in factory construction—due to planning approvals, construction challenges, or labour shortages—will have a direct, cascading impact on the entire NEN project from Year 3 onwards. This effectively swaps external market risks (such as reliance on volatile international supply chains) for internal execution risks (the ability to build multiple complex industrial facilities on time and on budget in Australia). This front-loads the demand for construction and engineering talent, intensifying the skills shortage challenge from the very beginning of the project.
A critical assessment of Australia's capacity to supply the skilled labour identified in the demand model reveals that the NEN project will function as a significant "demand shock" to a labour market already characterised by chronic skills shortages in key occupations. This section analyses the primary constraints on sourcing the NEN workforce and evaluates the capacity of the national training system to respond.
The NEN's workforce requirements align almost perfectly with occupations that Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has identified as being in persistent national shortage. This pre-existing condition is the single greatest threat to the project's timeline and successful delivery.
The NEN's massive and concentrated demand for these specific occupations will dramatically exacerbate these existing shortages, creating intense competition for a limited pool of talent.
The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, including TAFE, is the primary pipeline for the critical tradespeople needed for the NEN. However, the system is currently ill-equipped to handle the scale and speed of the required ramp-up, facing its own internal capacity constraints.
The NEN will not be recruiting in isolation. The project's timeline coincides with a period of intense activity across multiple sectors that rely on the same limited pool of skilled labour. The renewable energy sector will be competing directly with major public and private projects in defence, transport infrastructure, and the residential construction sector, which is itself under pressure to meet the National Housing Accord's target of 1.2 million new homes. This cross-sectoral competition for electricians, engineers, construction managers, and other trades will inevitably exert significant upward pressure on wages and create recruitment challenges not just for the NEN, but for the entire Australian economy.
To overcome the critical bottleneck of the four-year electrical apprenticeship, a strategic intervention is proposed: the creation of a new, specialised "Solar Installation (Restricted) Licence". This would be a nationally recognised, accelerated training pathway designed to produce a competent, specialised workforce at the speed and scale required by the NEN. This model is based on the existing framework for Restricted Electrical Licences (RELs) in Australia, which are issued to tradespeople to perform specific, limited electrical tasks related to their primary job.11
This new licence would be a more advanced and specialised version, with its scope strictly limited to the electrical wiring and commissioning of residential solar PV and battery systems. It would not permit general electrical work.13 A theoretical, intensive training program could produce a fully competent and licensed solar installer in 15 to 18 months, structured as follows:
Crucially, this pathway would be designed to provide a clear route to becoming a fully-fledged electrician. All training modules would be nationally accredited and directly creditable towards the Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician. A holder of the restricted licence could then complete the remaining units of competency and logbook hours to gain an unrestricted electrical licence, creating a valuable career progression pathway and ensuring the program attracts a wide pool of candidates.
| Occupation | ANZSCO Code | NEN Peak Annual Demand (est.) | National Shortage Status | Current Annual VET/HE Completion Rate (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician (General) | 341111 | 15,000 - 20,000 | In Shortage | ~8,000 |
| Civil Engineer | 233211 | 2,000 - 3,000 | In Shortage | ~4,500 |
| Electrical Engineer | 233311 | 2,500 - 3,500 | In Shortage | ~2,000 |
| Mechanical Fitter/Welder | 323211/322313 | 3,000 - 4,000 | In Shortage | ~5,000 |
| Construction Project Manager | 133111 | 1,000 - 1,500 | In Shortage | ~3,000 |
Note: NEN demand figures are high-level estimates for peak years (Years 4-5). Completion rates are approximate national figures and may not reflect readiness for specialised energy roles. Shortage status is based on Jobs and Skills Australia's 2023 Skills Priority List.
A core principle of the NEN proposal is its commitment to a just transition, ensuring that workers and communities currently dependent on the fossil fuel industry are provided with pathways to new careers within the clean energy economy.1 This section analyses the scale of Australia's incumbent energy workforce, the transferability of their skills to the NEN project, and the structural challenges that must be overcome to ensure an equitable transition.
Australia's fossil fuel industry represents a significant and highly skilled segment of the national workforce. While figures vary across different data sources and methodologies, a consolidated analysis provides a clear picture of the sector's scale.
Summing the direct employment figures from these primary sources indicates a total fossil fuel extraction and processing workforce of approximately 70,000 to 80,000 workers. This aligns with the NEN proposal's own assessment and represents the primary cohort for which a just transition strategy is required.1
A critical enabler of a just transition is the high degree of skills overlap between the incumbent fossil fuel industry and the emerging clean energy sector. A recent report by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) found significant career transition opportunities for oil and gas workers in both decommissioning and renewable energy production due to these similar skill profiles.28
The primary barrier to a seamless transition is not a lack of transferable skills, but the geographical concentration of the existing fossil fuel workforce. The majority of coal mining jobs, for instance, are located in specific regional areas such as the Hunter Valley in NSW and the Bowen Basin in Queensland.23
While the NEN's installation jobs will be nationally distributed across every town and suburb, the new, large-scale manufacturing jobs will also be geographically concentrated. These new industrial hubs may be located based on logistical advantages, such as proximity to ports or raw materials, or in areas with a legacy of industrial infrastructure, such as former automotive manufacturing centres in Victoria and South Australia. This creates a potential geographical mismatch between where fossil fuel jobs are being lost and where new clean energy jobs are being created.
This reality demonstrates that a successful just transition is fundamentally a challenge of regional economic development, not just individual skills matching. A simple retraining program is insufficient if the new jobs are not accessible to the transitioning workforce. This necessitates a proactive, place-based industrial strategy that deliberately seeks to co-locate new NEN manufacturing facilities and O&M hubs in regions currently dependent on fossil fuels. Such an approach would create direct, local employment replacements and leverage the existing skilled workforce, preventing the creation of stranded communities. The establishment of an independent, national "Transition Authority," as recommended in multiple reports, is crucial for coordinating this complex socio-economic undertaking, managing retraining programs, and providing support for workers and communities throughout the transition.30
| Fossil Fuel Occupation | ANZSCO Code | Potential NEN Role(s) | Skills Overlap (%) | Key Retraining Modules Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mine Electrician | 341111 | NEN Node Technician, Installation Electrician | 85% | Grid-connect PV systems, Battery storage systems certification, Smart inverter diagnostics |
| Plant Operator (Coal/Gas) | 712211 | Grid-Tech Operator, VPP Controller | 60% | SCADA for distributed networks, AI-driven grid management software, FCAS market operations |
| Petroleum Engineer | 233612 | Manufacturing Engineer (Battery/Panel), Geothermal Specialist | 50% | Advanced manufacturing processes, Na-ion cell chemistry, Geothermal reservoir analysis |
| Heavy Diesel Mechanic | 321212 | Logistics Fleet Mechanic, Heavy Machinery Maintenance (Construction) | 95% | Electric vehicle and heavy machinery maintenance (if fleet is electrified) |
| Project Manager (Mining) | 133513 | Construction Project Manager (NEN Rollout/Manufacturing) | 90% | Renewable energy project finance, Community engagement for linear infrastructure |
Note: Skills overlap percentages are indicative. Retraining modules represent examples of targeted VET skill sets or micro-credentials needed to bridge the gap.
A primary economic criticism of large-scale infrastructure projects is their tendency to create "boom-bust" employment cycles, with a massive construction workforce that largely disappears upon project completion. The National Energy Network (NEN) is explicitly designed to counteract this dynamic by establishing a permanent, sustainable industrial ecosystem that supports a large, ongoing workforce long after the initial nine-year rollout concludes.
The foundation of the NEN's long-term employment model is the creation of two perpetual, overlapping demand cycles for skilled manufacturing and installation labour, as detailed in the project's industrial strategy.1
This "evergreen" model fundamentally restructures the nature of energy employment. It moves away from the sporadic construction of centralised power plants towards a continuous, distributed model of manufacturing, installation, and service. The most significant and consistent source of long-term work is not the initial panel installation but the perpetual, high-frequency replacement of the network's 11 million smart inverters, creating a permanent, nationwide demand for skilled electricians.
The proposal's estimated annual Operational Expenditure (OPEX) of $1.5 billion will fund a permanent national workforce dedicated to the ongoing management of the network.1 This creates a new class of stable, highly skilled careers in the energy sector.
Key operational roles will include grid controllers and power systems engineers managing the NEN as a single Virtual Power Plant (VPP), selling stability services into the national market.1 It will require dedicated teams of AI and software engineers to continuously update and optimise the grid's control algorithms, and cybersecurity specialists to defend this critical infrastructure. A large, distributed team of field technicians will be responsible for predictive and reactive maintenance across the network's vast asset base. Furthermore, the NEN's commitment to a circular economy will create permanent jobs in the national panel repurposing and advanced recycling facilities.1 As noted by the Clean Energy Council, these O&M roles typically last for the 25-30 year life of a project and are often filled by local residents, providing a crucial source of stable, long-term regional employment.2
The NEN is designed as a dynamic and growing energy ecosystem. The "Evergreen Advantage" model projects that as solar technology improves, the panels replaced during the upgrade cycle will be significantly more efficient than the ones they replace.1 Simultaneously, the original panels, which still retain a high percentage of their operational capacity, will be repurposed onto public and commercial buildings, creating entirely new generation capacity.
This process creates a perpetually compounding energy surplus. Over just the first five-year upgrade cycle (Years 16-20 of the project's life), this mechanism is projected to add an extra 33.4 TWh of clean energy to the national grid annually, on top of the original surplus.1 This vast and growing pool of cheap, clean energy is the foundational enabler for the next wave of industrial development and job creation, providing the essential feedstock for new green industries such as green steel and green hydrogen production, as envisioned by the "Future Made in Australia" policy. The NEN's long-term workforce impact, therefore, extends far beyond its direct employment, acting as the catalyst for broader economic transformation and job growth across the entire economy.
The analysis presented in this report indicates that while the National Energy Network (NEN) project offers a profound opportunity for job creation and industrial renewal, its success is contingent on overcoming a significant and pre-existing national skills crisis. The following strategic recommendations are designed to address the identified workforce challenges and provide a clear, actionable pathway to ensure the human capital required for this nation-building project can be mobilised on schedule.
It is imperative that the Australian Government immediately establish and fund a comprehensive National Clean Energy Training Initiative. A central pillar of this initiative must be the creation of the "Solar Installation (Restricted) Licence", an accelerated 18-month pathway to produce a specialised installation workforce. This requires federal leadership to work with state and territory regulators to harmonise and implement this new licensing category, ensuring it is safe, robust, and nationally recognised. The program must be designed with clear, credit-based pathways for graduates to transition to a full, unrestricted electrical licence, ensuring long-term career development. This initiative must also include direct funding for TAFEs to procure modern training equipment for renewable technologies, the creation of fast-track programs to certify experienced industry experts as VET trainers to alleviate the teacher shortage, and a significant expansion of subsidies and incentives for employers who take on clean energy apprentices, building on existing models like the New Energy Apprenticeship Program.5
The current VET system is often too slow and unwieldy to keep pace with the rapid technological evolution of the clean energy sector.29 The government must work with Jobs and Skills Australia and Skills Insight to fundamentally reform the process for developing and accrediting new qualifications and skill sets. This will ensure that training packages for emerging technologies like Sodium-Ion batteries, grid-forming inverters, and AI-driven control systems can be developed and rolled out in months, not years. The planned TAFE Centres of Excellence must be adequately resourced to act as genuine hubs for innovation, curriculum development, and industry partnership, ensuring training content is directly aligned with the real-world needs of the NEN project.10
While building a domestic skills base is the long-term priority, the analysis clearly shows that the domestic training pipeline cannot possibly produce the required number of qualified workers in time for the critical Year 1-4 ramp-up phase. To bridge this immediate and unavoidable gap, the government should establish a dedicated and streamlined visa stream for qualified and experienced clean energy workers. This program must be highly targeted, focusing on the most critical shortage occupations identified in this report: electricians, power systems engineers, and experienced construction project managers. This will provide the necessary surge capacity to ensure the project's foundational years are not derailed by labour shortages.
The socio-economic complexities of transitioning Australia's fossil fuel workforce cannot be managed on an ad-hoc basis. Following recommendations from multiple industry and academic reports, the government should create an independent statutory Transition Authority.30 This body must be given the mandate and funding to coordinate a comprehensive, worker-centred transition. Its responsibilities would include overseeing the national retraining and upskilling programs, managing financial and logistical support for workers who may need to relocate, and, crucially, working directly with the NEN Commercial Arm to ensure that new manufacturing investments are strategically directed into regions currently dependent on fossil fuel employment, thereby creating direct local job pathways.
The NEN Authority must leverage its immense procurement power as a primary tool for workforce development. All major contracts for installation, manufacturing, and logistics should include mandated targets for skills training, apprenticeship commencements, and workforce diversity. This can be modelled on successful programs like the NSW Government's Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program (ISLP), which embeds such targets into all major state infrastructure projects.5 Furthermore, the NEN Authority should actively fund and promote programs aimed at increasing the participation of under-represented groups, such as the Clean Energy Council's "Women in Renewables" initiative, to broaden the national talent pool and address the sector's persistent gender imbalance.30