Edition 58, July 2008

Energy Skills Passport to be developed

The Energy Networks Association (ENA), the peak national body representing gas distribution and electricity network businesses throughout Australia, has agreed to develop and operate the ENA National Energy Skills Passport.

Stakeholders believe that the energy industry would be better served with a national register of individuals' nationally accredited current competencies rather than through traditional licensing system.

To that end, the ENA see the use of a skills passport as means to overcome issues of differing state and company competency and qualification requirements, and equating differing jurisdictional equivalencies.

The energy industry is of the view that simply licensing Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) workers may actually be a barrier to portability of employees as it does not:

  • record or validate on an ongoing basis an electrical worker's competencies
  • reflect the nature of ESI works
  • strengthen any existing safety frameworks.

The ENA state that the advantages of the National Energy Skills Passport come from:

  • the strengthening of the 'safety case' approach to energy safety regulation
  • the collection of current workforce data to help accurately direct funding and training resources
  • nationally consistent refresher training standards
  • a national market for registered training organisations delivering refresher training.

The proposed ENA National Energy Skills Passport will complement national trade licensing requirements, satisfy the Council of Australian Government objective of national workforce mobility and achieve the ENA objective of an industry-wide flexible workforce in the electricity and gas supply industries.

The ENA National Energy Skills Passport will also be designed to meet the approach to skills recognition that has already been adopted by a number of states and territories.

ENA members have identified refresher training as a priority issue and believe that a common understanding of the issues between states and territories is essential. Technical refresher training for network operators is of the highest importance to all electricity supply industry organisations across Australia, as it ensures a previously achieved standard of performance is maintained.

At present, all jurisdictions and network operators have different requirements for their operatives to gain and maintain access to electricity network infrastructure.

To address this issue, ENA has been working with EE-Oz Australia, the industry skills council for the electrotechology, communications and energy utilities industries in Australia, to put forward an Industry Training Strategies Program (ITSP) funding proposal to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

The objectives of the project are to:

  • identify and record the categories of ESI worker within each jurisdiction and/or network operator (eg; Lineworker, Cable Jointer, Electrical Fitters, Trades Assistants etc) and the qualifications associated with same
  • identify and record the current competencies required to gain initial network access for each category of worker in each jurisdiction and/or network operator
  • identify and record the requirements for refresher training to maintain network access for each category of worker in each jurisdiction and/or network operator, including:
    • learning outcomes
    • training content (competencies or otherwise)
    • training frequency requirements
    • regulatory requirements (ie; Licensing, Australian/Industry Standards), if any, for refresher training
  • compare and contrast ESI OH&S initial training and refresher requirements for gaining and maintaining access to Electricity Network Infrastructure across jurisdictions and network operators
  • provide recommendations for the development of common competency-based OHS training outcomes for gaining and maintaining access to Electricity Network Infrastructure.

For more information on the National Energy Skills Passport contact Michael Kilgariff, ENA, on 02 6272 1555 or mkilgariff@ena.asn.au or visit www.ee-oz.com.au/index.cfm?pageId=10,228,4,0

What is a skills passport?

A skills passport is usually a physical or electronic document which records and lists the currency of skills, authorities and inductions of a worker. It is more beneficial to both the individual and the employer because it is more secure, easier to maintain, easier to share and more versatile.

How will a skills passport operate?

The skills passport operates by standardising access requirements and by recording or validating a worker's competencies on an ongoing basis.

In general it works through the maintenance of an online database operated by a central industry body which determines what is required to be entered to create a skills passport and how and when that data is to be entered.

Depending on the skills passport system, the responsibility for updating a skills passport will sit with either the individual, training provider, employer and regulatory authority. In many instances it will be a combination of all those groups who are required to enter information into an individual's skills passport.

Access to an individual's skills passport will be available to the individual, training providers, employers and regulatory authorities. Access could be through a login or a searchable database.

Closer to the implementation of National Energy Skills Passport, ENA will release information to inform industry stakeholders, including licensing and regulatory authorities and registered training organisations, about how the system will operate.

This page was generated on 05 January, 2010

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