Solar Victoria apprenticeships for women

We are funding grants for apprenticeships for women, to address both skilled worker shortages and the under-representation of women in trades.

Women are significantly under-represented in the solar and renewable energy industries, making up less than one per cent of electricians, plumbers, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, solar PV and battery designers and installers, and licensed electrical inspectors.

What is involved?

Under this initiative, solar electrical and home heating and cooling businesses will be supported to hire a Solar Victoria apprentice – receiving a 50 per cent discount on hire costs for two years of the apprenticeship.

Women in Solar Victoria apprenticeships will receive financial incentives for two years of their apprenticeship. Additional support includes industry and career mentoring.

For more information, see Supporting women in solar.

Who can do them?

For candidate apprentices

These apprenticeships are open to women who would like to start a full-time apprenticeship as a first or second year apprentice solar electrician, mechanical services plumber or air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic.

For host employers

Businesses registered with our Solar Homes, Solar for Business and Home Heating and Cooling Upgrades programs can hire a Solar Victoria apprentice as a host employer.

Note: Your business does not need to be registered with our Home Heating and Cooling Upgrades Program to register your interest as a host employer to a mechanical services plumber and/or air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic apprentice. These apprenticeships are open to all relevant businesses.

When and how are they delivered?

Apprentices and host employers will be recruited until 31 March 2023 for this two-year initiative.

Apprenticeships will be managed through two contracted group training organisations (GTOs):

This allows apprentices to have broad industry experience and gives host employers workforce flexibility. Read more about how hiring a Solar Victoria apprentice through a GTO can save your business considerable time and resources: Four big benefits of hiring an apprentice through a Group Training Organisation..

How much does it cost to participate?

There is no cost for host employers and apprentice candidates to register their interest for these apprenticeships.

Host employers can hire an apprentice through one of the GTOs listed above at a 50 per cent discounted rate for the first two years.

Women wishing to do an apprenticeship under this initiative will receive financial incentives on commencement and at six-monthly intervals for two years of their apprenticeship.

How to register

To register your interest as a candidate apprentice or a host employer under this initiative, please contact your preferred group training provider from the list above.

About our commitment

Solar Victoria is investing $11 million to deliver a comprehensive training and workforce development package. Our aim is for the residential solar and the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning industry to have the skills and capabilities to deliver our programs and to support growth.

Boosting training and workforce development will ensure Victoria has an ongoing supply of skilled workers to support growth in the renewable and clean energy sector.

Any questions?

Please contact your chosen group training organisation listed above with any questions about these apprenticeships.

For general enquiries about Solar Victoria’s training and workforce development package, please email industrytraining@team.solar.vic.gov.au or call our Customer Service team during business hours 8:00am – 6:00pm Monday – Friday (except public holidays) on 1300 376 393.

For information about other initiatives helping to grow Victoria’s clean energy workforce, seeTraining and workforce development.

Downloads

This fact sheet outlines the information on this page:

Promotional resources

Many of our training and workforce development initiatives are open to people working outside our programs, so we encourage training providers, local councils, businesses, community groups and others to promote them. See Training and workforce development promotional resources.