Upskilling for the energy transition
The gradual phasing out of Australia’s coal-fired power stations is an inevitable part of the nation’s renewable energy future. However, their closure creates immense upheaval for the workers who serve them. Fortunately, the energy transition also provides a range of opportunities for power plant workers to reskill and become part of a new renewable energy workforce. In this interview, Anthea Middleton, CEO of Powering Skills Organisation, discusses the pathways and opportunities available.
What renewable energy careers are an option for workers at retiring coal-fired power plants?
Australia is in the midst of the largest transition of our economy since the Industrial Revolution, with current modelling indicating a predicted shortfall of over 42,000 energy trades workers by 2030 to reach Australia’s energy superpower ambitions. While the retiring of these plants will cause disruption to workers, [and] also their families and community, there has never been a better time to transition these workers into other skilled, meaningful, competitively salaried energy careers.
While local industry and project pipelines determine the specific demand across Australia, the combination of technical expertise and practical industry knowledge makes these workers ideally suited for roles in high-demand areas such as electrical trades, lines workers, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, instrumentation, and renewables — whether in solar, battery, wind or other renewable energy technologies.
Given their experience, power-station workers can also play a critical role in building the next generation of the clean energy workforce — there are significant opportunities in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, which faces an acute shortage of qualified teachers and trainers in electrotechnology, and is critical to addressing skills shortages.
What sort of skills and training will support these workers in their career transition? And what kinds of institutions or programs are currently available?
The skills and training needed will depend on the worker’s existing experience and the type of role they are transitioning into. Many workers already have a strong technical foundation that can be built upon through targeted upskilling in renewable technologies and safety standards.
Potential pathways to upskill include nationally accredited qualifications, targeted short courses, and structured on-the-job training focused on areas such as solar installation, battery storage, electrical safety and wind turbine operations.
There are many established training providers capable of delivering this upskilling, including TAFEs, registered training organisations (RTOs) and employer-led programs, often supported by transition initiatives.
Will workers be able to remain working locally?
Large-scale renewable energy zones (REZs) are planned across multiple metropolitan and regional locations along the eastern and southern coast, which will all require a significant workforce to build, commission and maintain them.
As well, there is strong, growing demand for electrotechnology workers in construction and domestic electrification initiatives underway right across the country. These present strong opportunities for transitioning workforces, but the specific opportunities and scale of demand are dependent on the region and local investment.
What progress have you seen so far, in terms of successful training programs and job transitions?
There are already strong transition plans in place at many power stations due to be decommissioned — implemented and supported by the operating organisation, community and all levels of government.
For example, PSO’s 2025 Workforce Plan highlighted one of these at the Eraring Power Station, where operator Origin Energy is supporting workers to upskill or transition into new career pathways. PSO spoke with Brett Harvey, an instrumentation and control technician at Eraring, about the support Origin was providing in career consultation and upskilling. The Western Australian Government has also implemented the Collie Just Transition, investing more than $662 million, supporting jobs and attracting investment into the region.
What has been the general reaction from workers to upskilling initiatives?
Overall, workers have responded positively to upskilling initiatives, recognising the broad range of career opportunities. While the transition understandably brings concerns and anxiety for some workers, there is generally strong engagement for programs that are practical, locally delivered, and adaptable. Operators of these retiring power stations, along with both state and federal governments, have put in place substantial support systems — including wellbeing and mental health support, career counselling, financial assistance and access to accredited training — to help workers seize new opportunities in a changing energy landscape.
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Case study: Origin Energy
With its Eraring Power Station set to close in the next few years (the most recently announced closure of August 2027 potentially being pushed back until 2029, according to reported comments from Origin Chairman Scott Perkins), Origin Energy is developing initiatives to support its workers into careers beyond the coal-fired power industry.
The company’s Future Directions Program has so far seen its workers adopt a variety of adventurous career changes, including from systems control engineer to wilderness guide and from nurse to coxswain. However, of the 98% of eligible employees who are engaged with the program, 80.5% are currently training for or are interested in staying in the energy sector. Out of those, 19 people have chosen an electrical career, and two people have chosen to train as a VET assessor.
“It has been a balance of reskilling and upskilling people whilst managing a critical operation to provide reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Ian Crowhurst, Head of Future Capability & Talent at Origin Energy.
“We realised it could be a little overwhelming for some of the staff to think about new careers after working here for so long, so we started by running career coaching and talking about possibilities.
“Many were restrained by location, so we looked in the local area to see what might be available in the future workforce for this area, as well as mapping people’s talents and interests.”
Crowhurst added that Origin would also be launching the largest battery currently under construction in the Southern Hemisphere, located at the power plant site.
“Some staff will remain on to operate and manage it, and we also expect there will be opportunities here during site demolition and rehabilitation,” he said.
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