The new Master Electrician Energy Efficiency course is important training for those wanting to build their business by entering the rapidly growing energy efficiency market. The course covers a wide range of concepts to give electricians the confidence to provide energy-efficient solutions to their customers. [ + ]

‘Compact, lightweight and flexible’ will be the focus of the display by Olympus Industrial Business Unit (IBD) at Austech 2013 in May. The company’s display will feature some of the smallest models in its industry-leading portfolio of innovative test, measurement and imaging instruments. [ + ]

More than 800 electrical contractors gathered during the March weekend of the 2013 Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, there to attend the Clipsal by Schneider Electric’s ‘Gear up for the Future’ business session. [ + ]

NBN Co has awarded a contract to Visionstream, a subsidiary of Leighton Holdings Limited, to roll out fibre-optic broadband in Victoria, Queensland and southern NSW. The contract is valued at up to $334 million over two years, with two one-year options to renew, and adds to the existing NBN construction efforts of Silcar in NSW and Queensland and Transfield in Victoria. [ + ]

SkillsConnect Australia is now offering Certificate III in Telecommunications Digital Reception Technology in locations across Australia. Thanks to a new partnership with Matchmaster Communications, this complete certificate is now available at a reduced price due to a generous government subsidy. [ + ]

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. [ + ]