The Australian Renewables Academy (ARA) has successfully convened 'Dinner & Dialogue' events across the Renewable Energy Zones in Gippsland, Warrnambool, Whyalla, Darwin, Mount Gambier, Townsville, Geelong, and most recently, Newcastle. These forums have brought together key stakeholders from the clean energy sector, supply chains, education and training, government, and local communities.

ARA convened its largest regional 'Dinner and Dialogue' event to date in Newcastle, engaging over 30 local leaders and experts in a strategic dialogue on the region's transition to a clean energy future. Held in the historically mining-centric Hunter Region, this gathering addressed the challenges and opportunities of workforce development and educational alignment within the emerging clean energy economy.

The event featured rich discussions on investment hesitation, educational needs, fair wages for the clean energy sector and the development of robust community and business strategies to support sustainable growth and innovation in the sector.

ARA and RECOA will introduce RECOA's Groundbreaking Offshore Wind Online Training to Australia’ s renewable energy industry in the upcoming webinar on 7 August 2024, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM AEST.

ARA hosted its largest regional 'Dinner and Dialogue' event yet in Geelong at The Gordon TAFE's Share Plate on 18 September 2024. This event brought together 28 community leaders, industry experts and educators to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid growth in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, and Golden Plains.

Discussions centred on balancing regional expansion with community welfare, enhancing educational pathways and fostering a sustainable clean energy workforce, setting the stage for a robust dialogue on shaping a resilient future for Victoria's second-largest city.

This article presents updated insights from ARA's 'Dinner & Dialogue' event Townsville, reflecting the conversations held at the event, held in September 2024.

The article is one in a series reporting on ARA events conducted across Renewable Energy Zones around Australia.

Each event in this series provides a platform for stakeholders from the clean energy sector, supply chains, education and training organisations and regional communities to engage in facilitated discussions about clean energy workforce development and growth issues that matter to them.

The discussions play a key role in guiding our strategic direction and initiatives for Australia's transition to clean energy, focusing on workforce development and sustainable growth.

The Australian Renewables Academy is delighted to have been successful in our tender to deliver the Federal Government’s New Energy Apprenticeships Mentoring Program. The program is designed to support the clean energy sector by maximising retention and completion rates of Australian apprenticeships in clean energy occupations and connecting apprentices to skilled workers and businesses in the clean energy industry.

Your first steps in leadership are crucial. They set the tone for your journey in this exciting and vital industry. Embrace the challenges with a forward-thinking mindset and become the leader who not only manages but leads the charge in shaping the future of New Energy in your organisation. Upskill your team in 2024 with ARA’s New Energy Leadership and Management Program (BSB40520 Certificate IV).

To ensure NSW continues to have reliable energy supply following the anticipated closure of the Eraring Power Station, the NSW Government is delivering the Waratah Super Battery project. The project includes the largest standby network battery in the southern hemisphere, providing a service of up to 850 megawatts of capacity dedicated to supporting the transmission grid.

Working towards renewable energy targets