Ergon Energy announces five new apprenticeships for Bundaberg depot

Thousands of applications are expected for Ergon Energy’s popular apprentice intake for 2024, with a handful of positions confirmed for the Bundaberg depot.

Five new electrical trade apprenticeships for Ergon Energy's Bundaberg depot have been announced.

Opportunities for budding electricians are growing in Bundaberg with the announcement of five new electrical trade apprenticeships for Ergon Energy in the region.

A recruitment drive for the new apprenticeships was launched in Bundaberg on Thursday, June 29 by Assistant Energy Minister Lance McCallum, and the Labor Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith with Energy Queensland’s executive general manager, customer, Michael Dart.

The five new electricity distribution linesperson and electrician apprenticeships for Ergon’s Bundaberg operations are in addition to three apprentices who started in February.

The five in Bundaberg will be part of the 2024 intake with 179 new apprenticeships across 68 depots in Queensland.

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Mr Dart said apprenticeships with the state government-owned electricity distributors were in high demand.

“Our apprentices really are going to be working at the forefront of our ever-changing electricity industry,” he said.

“We get thousands of people applying for our apprentice intake each year, as they are very highly sought after positions.”

The demand for electrical trades is reflected in the growing enrolments in electrical trade courses in the region, with TAFE Queensland reporting an eight per cent increase in apprenticeship commencements at its Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Nambour campuses for the 2022-23 financial year.

TAFE Queensland is reporting an eight per cent increase in commencements for electrical apprenticeships at their Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Nambour campuses.

“We know there is a high demand for the electrical trade skills not only in Queensland but across Australia and this has been reflected in the rise in our electrical apprentice commencements every year over the last five years,” TAFE Queensland East Coast faculty director of construction trades and building services Jody Ridgeway said.

“There’s never been a better time to think about a career in the electrical trade industry especially when you see our apprentices become locally employed – it’s just so rewarding.”

Mr Smith said the new apprenticeships “are the bright new faces of the jobs being created by the Palaszczuk Government’s Energy and Jobs Plan”.

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“The successful applicants will be joining the industry in a period of incredible transformation – there’s never been a better time to join the teams who operate Queensland’s distribution network, and to be a part of building the future of energy in our great state,” he said.

LNP Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett said the $4.6m to increase retention and completion rates among female apprentices included in the Palaszczuk government’s 2023-24 budget came 18 months after a government report recommended urgent action to support female apprentices.

“While I will always welcome new apprenticeships and training, we can’t forget that there’s an awful long way to go,” Mr Bennett said.

“Queensland is in the middle of a skilled worker shortage of the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s making.”

A January 2022 report from the Queensland Training Ombudsman found that completion rates by female apprentices were 21% lower than males.