Training the wind energy workforce of the future

Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC)

Powering the renewable energy revolution

Federation is leading the way in providing skills and training to meet Australia’s renewable energy needs.

In addition to the southern hemisphere’s first wind turbine training tower in APRETC Ballarat, Federation is excited to announce the launch of APRETC Gippsland.

See our Transforming Victoria's New Energy Workforce brochure (pdf, 5mb) for more information about Federation University's commitment to new energy skills development and education.

APRETC Ballarat

The Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC) Ballarat was established by Federation University in November 2021 with support from the Victorian Government’s TAFE Clean Energy Fund and direct funding from industry. It supports the rapidly growing wind energy sector by meeting the demand for local skilled workers.

Based at our Mt Helen Campus, APRETC hosts the southern hemisphere’s first wind turbine training tower, a 23-metre-high facility that trains up to 600 wind industry workers each year and provides a pipeline of skilled workers for the fast-growing wind energy sector.

APRETC provides:

  • High Risk Working at Heights Training
  • Blade Repairs
  • Turbine Maintenance.

As a certified member of the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) and the only GWO-accredited training institute in Australia, Federation University commenced GWO Basic Safety and Refresher Training in 2023. APRETC offers training to industry from across the Asia-Pacific region.

Global Wind Organisation Training currently available from APRETC:

  • Basic Technical Training Course (BTT)
  • Basic Safety Training Course (BST – Initial) and (BSTR-Refresher)
  • Basic Safety Training
  • Certificate III of Engineering (Composites) – Apprenticeship (Blade Repair Technician).

With an additional $6 million in funding pledged by the Victorian Government as part of their $50 million TAFE Clean Energy Fund, planning for Stage 2 of APRETC is underway and will include a classroom, workshop and training equipment to deliver even more specialised training courses.

BZEE partnership

Federation’s exclusive partnership with Germany’s Bildungszentrum für Erneuerbare Energien (BZEE) Network is enabling the University to develop and deliver nationally aligned training programs that will place Turbine Technicians with original equipment manufacturers and subcontractors from late 2024.

This BZEE post-trade Turbine Technician Training Course is globally recognised as the world’s key qualification enabling employment in the wind industry.

Announcing APRETC Gippsland

Based on our APRETC facility in Western Victoria, we are working closely with the international wind energy industry to develop APRETC Gippsland. This training facility is being established in response to the forecast demand for a skilled workforce needed to support growth of the renewable energy industry in Gippsland. The Gippsland Regional Energy Zone was declared in August 2021, and Gippsland is also the first place in Australia to have an Offshore Wind Declared Area, announced in 2022. In 2024, VicGrid announced a study area and connection hub area for a shared transmission line to connect offshore wind energy generated off the Gippsland coast to the grid. These initiatives play a crucial role in establishing the necessary energy infrastructure for transitioning the state towards a renewable energy framework and achieving net zero targets.

APRETC Gippsland Stage 1 will be a state-of-the-art facility encompassing teaching spaces for higher education, simulators and a research centre all co-located with industry partners to support the offshore wind industry, and other clean energy technologies, e.g. hydrogen, solar, onshore wind and geothermal.

Stage 2 will also include a hydrogen fuel cell training facility, which will have state-of-the-art training systems supporting laboratory activities for specialised higher education programs in electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering aspects of hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

We are pleased to announce our partners for APRETC Gippsland:

  • Corio Generation
  • Iberdrola Australia
  • OSMI Australia
  • Origin X RES

Interested in being involved in APRETC Gippsland? Email advce@federation.edu.au to find out more.

Upcoming training courses

Global Wind Organisation (GWO) Basic Safety Training Course (BST)

The GWO BST 4 day course is an industry minimum requirement before you set-foot inside a Wind turbine tower. Training will enable participants to support and care for themselves and others working in the industry by possessing the knowledge and skills of first aid, working at heights, manual handling, fire awareness and in case of an emergency, to be able to evacuate, rescue and provide appropriate first aid to casualties. Please email or call direct for enrolment or course enquiry.

View course information >

Global Wind Organisation Basic Safety Training Course (BSTR)

GWO BST training will enable participants to support and care for themselves and others working in the industry by possessing the knowledge and skills of first aid, working at heights, manual handling, fire awareness, sea survival and in case of an emergency, to be able to evacuate, rescue and provide appropriate first aid to casualties. This training standard should be read alongside GWO's Requirements for Training. The GWO Basic Safety Training is divided into four modules which are aligned to six National Units of Competency.

View course information  >

Global Wind Organisation Basic Technical Training Course (BTT)

This 4-day BTT Training prepares participants for further company specific training by providing them with the necessary training to perform basic hydraulic, mechanical, electrical, bolt tightening and installation tasks. Considered as either a starting point for technicians new to the Wind Energy sector. This course also adds value to trade qualified Electricians and Mechanical fitters by relating their existing trade skills to the context of a Wind Turbine Technical role.

Modules: Mechanical (incorporating Bolt Tensioning) | Electrical | Hydraulic.

View course information >

Certificate III in Engineering - Composites Trade  (Blade Repair Technician)

As a wind turbine blade repair technician apprentice, you will get hands-on blade inspection, maintenance, and repair experience at a variety of locations around the country.  From 2023, students at Federation TAFE will be able to study Certificate III in Engineering (Composites Trade) (MEM31119), a three-year apprenticeship program that will be Australia’s first defined pathway for people to enter the wind generation industry as blade repair technicians.  There are also significant opportunities for trade workers from various backgrounds to take a step into the renewable energy sector to become wind-turbine technicians.

View course information >

Video gallery

APRETC: Australia's first renewable energy tower

Australia’s first renewable energy training tower was officially opened in March 2022 at Mount Helen Federation University campus. The 23-metre-high tower is Stage 1 of the Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Training Centre (APRETC).

View launch video >      

APRETC: Tower construction

Extensive industry collaboration has been at the heart of the development and construction process for APRETC's renewable energy training tower.

View construction video >      

APRETC: Training the renewable energy workforce of the future

Hear from our industry partners, students, staff and Government about the cutting edge training that will be delivered by APRETC – driving Victoria's renewable energy future.

View video >      

APRETC: Certificate III in Engineering - Composites Trade (MEM31112)

Our Composites Trade course is designed to provide broad spectrum knowledge, to ensure graduates have the skills needed to meet the demands of not only the renewable energy sector, but a range of other industries.

View video > 
 

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