Master Electricians Australia (MEA) advises that the federal government has announced an extension of its $57.5 million Apprentice Kickstart Initiative. The Kickstart Initiative was introduced late last year and has been extended until 30 April 2013. Employers are set to benefit from this program, receiving almost a 50% boost to existing incentives for employing an apprentice. [ + ]

AMMA has criticised the government’s attack on 457 visa arrangements, saying the unions’ antiskilled migration campaign is actually putting Australian jobs and projects at risk. [ + ]

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that there were 85 days lost per 1000 employees in 2012 throughout the construction sector - a rise of 25% on the previous year. [ + ]

The latest research in mesoscale atmospheric modelling, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, suggests that the generating capacity of large-scale wind farms has been overestimated. [ + ]

EMSc (UK) Ltd, green tech manufacturer of the Star range of energy-saving solutions, has won the UK Trade & Investment (UKT&I) ‘Exporter of the Year’ award. The company was nominated for the award by the Yorkshire branch of UKT&I, thanks to the continued global success the company enjoyed throughout 2012 across a number of international markets, including Cyprus, Spain, Malta, Greece, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. [ + ]

The Clean Energy Council and the American Council on Renewable Energy have announced a partnership to enrich both organisations’ missions of advancing clean energy deployment in their respective nations. [ + ]

The Ethisphere Institute has compiled an annual list of the world’s most ethical companies since 2007. For the 2013 list, the largest to date, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. [ + ]

NECA Qld is partnering with NECA WA for the 2013 state conference. The event will bring the WA and Qld electrical and communications industry together for three full days of industry sessions, networking opportunities and guest speakers. [ + ]

Women earn lower incomes than men across the engineering profession and are less likely to hold top management responsibilities, according to a survey released today by Engineers Australia. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia (MEA) has lent support to the Qld Government’s establishment of construction code guidelines to reduce the number of industrial disputes at work sites and said it looked forward to working with the government on its implementation. [ + ]

NECA Queensland has welcomed a plan by the state government to establish a building and construction code of practice which is due to commence on 1 July 2013. [ + ]

EnergyAustralia has voiced its support for the Queensland Government Commission of Audit recommendation to privatise parts of Queensland’s energy sector. [ + ]

A record 6000 visitors from around the globe attended the annual DMG/Mori Seiki Open House at the Deckel Maho plant in Pfronten, Germany. The five-day event, from 29 January to 2 February, featured over 70 machines, six of which were world premieres. [ + ]

Schneider Electric has announced the establishment of customer care centres of excellence in both its Sydney and Adelaide offices, resulting in the creation of 35 new positions at the Gepps Cross site. This is in addition to the existing staff at the Gepps Cross site currently performing this role, bringing the total number of customer care staff to 47. [ + ]

The University of Queensland will share a $3.3 million CSIRO grant to investigate the most economically efficient energy network for Australia’s future. Professor John Foster and Dr Liam Wagner from UQ School of Economics Energy Economics and Management Group will collaborate with the University of Sydney, University of Newcastle and University of NSW on a three-year project to provide a suite of tools and models to plan and manage the future grid. [ + ]