SEC Apprenticeship Academy pilot to take its first 40 electrical apprentices
Expressions of interest open in the coming weeks, with the first apprentices due to start early in 2027.
The SEC Apprenticeship Academy is preparing to take its first electrical apprentices, with a 40-place pilot opening for expressions of interest in the coming weeks.
Minister for Energy and Resources Jaclyn Symes announced on Thursday 22 October that the SEC will partner with NECA Education & Careers and the Electrical Trades Union to launch the pilot.
According to the Victorian Government release, the first apprentices will start early in 2027. The release says the Academy will be Victoria's largest electrical apprenticeship training program, supporting 2,000 apprentices over four years.
Where the jobs are
The release says Victoria's energy workforce is expected to grow from around 45,000 workers today to 68,000 by 2040, with strong demand for electricians, plumbers and other skilled workers for network upgrades, home electrification and electric vehicle infrastructure.
Other projections in the release, all to 2040:
- electricians in Victoria's energy sector to grow by more than 90 per cent from 2026, to around 8,500
- almost 35,000 energy-sector workers across metropolitan Melbourne
- jobs supporting home battery installations to almost triple, to around 2,600
- jobs supporting electric vehicle infrastructure to quadruple, to around 14,300.
The release also says around 37 per cent of Victoria's energy jobs will be in regional Victoria. It does not say who produced these projections.
NECA Education & Careers CEO Gideon Perrott said the Academy would "give more Victorians the skills to turn that opportunity into a career".
How to find out more
Details are at secapprenticeshipacademy.necaeducation.com.au.
Sources: “SEC Apprenticeship Academy Gets Ready To Open Its Doors”, Victorian Government media release, 22 October 2026 Adapted from “SEC Apprenticeship Academy Gets Ready To Open Its Doors”, Victorian Government media release, 22 October 2026. © Copyright State Government of Victoria, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence; this version has been edited and shortened, and party-political content removed. Illustrations: The Dosage.