Page 2317 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 5 August 2015
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One of the exciting new concepts for our diversified economy is bringing industry and research sectors together in Canberra in a renewable energy precinct. This would focus on solar, wind energy and energy storage. The government’s renewable energy industry development strategy will harness existing programs and expertise in Canberra. It will also look to the development of the next generations of renewable energy technologies.
We are on the way to creating Canberra as a centre of excellence in the renewable energies industries with the spin-offs of investment and jobs in these clever industries. Our city has a well-educated population and the quality of our schools and post-secondary education, including the CIT, the ANU and the University of Canberra, give us a great springboard to being at the centre of emerging innovations in the renewables sector and future industries.
CIT Bruce is well placed to be at the centre of vocational education in the new industries in renewable energy as a centre of excellence, servicing the training needs of the operators of the ACT wind farm projects and others. CIT already has courses and facilities dedicated to training and sustainability technologies. The aim of the CIT Bruce sustainable skills training hub building was to have an energy efficient and ecologically sustainable building with most of the structure and technology visible for training and most of the building plant available for hands-on training. It was a design requirement to provide as many examples of sustainable technologies as possible to enable the building itself to function as a teaching aid.
Students are trained in the design, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of the technologies. Back when Australia was regarded internationally as a leader in action on climate change—not the pariah we are today—the then Labor federal government funded the CIT Bruce sustainable skills training hub in 2009. This was through its investment in vocational education and training, specifically the training infrastructure investment for tomorrow element of the teaching and learning capital fund. Additional funds came from the ACT government and from within CIT. Other backing for the hub came from the Housing Industry Association, the Engineers Australia Canberra Division, the University of Canberra and the ACT Planning and Land Authority.
In the CIT sustainable skills training hub, CIT and the community have a state-of-the-art training facility targeted towards a sustainable future for all Australians. CIT Bruce uses the hub to run practical courses in renewable energy technologies, heat pump technologies, solar hot water and other training related to sustainability in the construction industries.
CIT has now won funding through the wind auction process. One of the wind auction winners has committed $7 million to support the development of CIT Bruce as Australia’s first dedicated trade training facility for wind turbine maintenance. The winning first wind auction company will be training its entire staff at various institutions in Canberra, including at CIT Bruce, for its Australian wind farms. As wind farm operations spread in our regions and across the country, they will need more and more staff skilled in these renewable industries.
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