MELBOURNE — In a major state intervention aimed at locking in Victoria’s renewable energy transition, the Allan Labor Government has announced the creation of the state’s first publicly-owned apprenticeship academy.

The newly minted State Electricity Commission (SEC) Apprenticeship Academy will directly employ and train 2,000 electrical trade apprentices over the next four years, addressing a critical skills shortage that threatens to stall the state’s green energy pipeline.

Under the plan, the SEC will scale rapidly to become the single largest employer of electrical apprentices in Victoria.

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Write and expand a news story from a media release. Premier Jacinta Allan, SEC Will Hire 2,000 Apprentices To Secure Our Future

We need more apprentices to build our energy future, and we need them to finish their training.

By 2040, the number of electricians working in Victoria’s energy sector must grow by 50 per cent.

But right now, the private training market is failing, with not enough starts and not enough completions.

That’s why the Allan Labor Government is stepping in.

We will deliver Victoria’s first publicly-owned apprenticeship academy.

The SEC Apprenticeship Academy will offer 2,000 electrical trade apprenticeships over the next four years.

These apprentices will earn while they learn and deliver the workforce needed to build Victoria’s future.

And every single one of them will be employed by the SEC.

The SEC will become the largest employer of electrical apprentices in the state.

Why it’s needed

Apprenticeships used to mean identity, pathway, job, security.

But now, getting a start on a worksite is something most individual apprentices have to find themselves.

Young people are forced to navigate their own way from site to site, job to job, without job security at the end.

That’s why more and more young people aren’t completing their apprenticeships.

By attending the SEC Apprenticeship Academy, apprentices won’t just study together – they’ll work together.

Instead of being left on their own, the Academy will place the apprentices on a wide range of energy projects.

Because the Academy is an industry-led partnership, they will be working alongside the best in the business.

And they will have access to world-class training facilities – one in Melbourne and one in regional Victoria.

The first full intake for the Academy will begin in January 2027.

The Liberals will cut the SEC

When Jeff Kennett’s Liberals sold off the SEC, they shredded thousands of secure jobs.

Labor brought back the SEC to deliver publicly-owned renewable energy, and the Liberals will cut it all over again.

They’ll abandon well paid and skilled regional jobs and push up power bills in the process.

We need these workers – our Victorian Energy Jobs Plan shows energy jobs will grow by 50 per cent to around 68,000 by 2040.

Around 37 per cent of these jobs will be in the regions.

If we don’t train these workers here, investment will fall, projects will stall, and bills will rise.

Quotes attributable to Premier Jacinta Allan

“2,000 young workers in the SEC Apprenticeship Academy – earning while they’re learning, building cheaper, homegrown power.”

“Thirty years ago, a Liberal Government switched the lights off on my dad’s career. Now we’re training thousands of young people to switch them back on.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for the State Electricity Commission Lily D’Ambrosio

“We can’t let the apprenticeship pipeline become a pipedream.”

“The Liberals cut the SEC – we brought it back. Now it’s supporting a new generation of young people to work on the energy transition, and helping Victorians reduce their power bills and keep the lights on.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Skills and TAFE Colin Brooks

“Not only do we have Free TAFE – we’ll now have more young apprentices working on SEC jobs and training in the SEC Apprenticeship Academy, so they can help secure our future.”

“Will the Liberals back our apprentices, or will they cut them?”

Powering Up: Victoria Launches Publicly-Owned SEC Academy to Hire 2,000 Apprentices

Under the plan, the SEC will scale rapidly to become the single largest employer of electrical apprentices in Victoria.

Fixing a “Failing” Private Training Market

The announcement comes amidst growing anxiety over apprentice completion rates. While Victoria’s aggressive shift toward renewable energy requires a massive influx of skilled labor, the government argues the current private training model is broken.

Currently, young workers are often left to navigate a fragmented web of subcontractors, shifting from site to site with zero long-term job security. This instability has led to a drop-off in both modern apprenticeship starts and final trade completions.

The SEC Apprenticeship Academy aims to rewrite this script. Instead of being left to fend for themselves, trainees will “earn while they learn” under a structured, secure, and fully funded public framework.

The Energy Workforce Blueprint

According to the government’s Victorian Energy Jobs Plan, the state is staring down an unprecedented demand for skilled hands:

50% Increase: The required growth of electricians working in Victoria’s energy sector by 2040.
68,000 Total Jobs: The projected size of the state’s energy workforce by 2040.
Regional Focus: Approximately 37 per cent of these future energy roles will be located in regional Victoria.

Inside the SEC Academy: How It Will Work

The Academy is designed as an industry-led partnership, ensuring trainees learn alongside top-tier professionals on major public and private energy projects.

Rather than being tied to a single private builder, apprentices will be rotated through a diverse portfolio of wind, solar, battery, and grid-infrastructure projects, granting them broad, future-proof industry exposure.

Dual Hubs: Training will be anchored by two world-class facilities—one located in metropolitan Melbourne and the other in regional Victoria.
Guaranteed Employment: Every single apprentice entering the academy will be employed directly by the SEC, offering clear career pathways post-qualification.
Timeline: The first full intake of students is scheduled to begin in January 2027.

Political Sparks Fly Over Energy Legacy

The revived SEC has become a central battleground for Victorian politics. The Allan Government wasted no time drawing a sharp contrast with the opposition, invoking the 1990s privatization era under former Liberal Premier Jeff Kennett.

Labor warns that any future Coalition government would dismantle the SEC, risk skilled regional jobs, and trigger a spike in consumer power bills due to delayed infrastructure projects.

From the Leadership

“2,000 young workers in the SEC Apprenticeship Academy – earning while they’re learning, building cheaper, homegrown power. Thirty years ago, a Liberal Government switched the lights off on my dad’s career. Now we’re training thousands of young people to switch them back on.” — Premier Jacinta Allan

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