- Published:
- Thursday 15 August 2024
The Allan Labor Government is helping more secondary school students build the skills they need to pursue careers in the renewable energy sector.
Nine Victorian Tech Schools will share in more than $2.1 million through the latest round of the Labor Government’s Clean Energy Equipment Fund (CEEF).
CEEF ensures schools can purchase the high-quality industry-standard equipment they need to teach students about the renewable energy career pathways that are available across Victoria.
The CEEF delivers programs to help students build the skills and knowledge required to support Victoria’s transition to clean energy.
Through the program Tech Schools work with local secondary schools and industry partners to deliver immersive, practical and future career-linked STEM education that students need to succeed in areas such as renewable energy, robotics and advanced manufacturing.
Tech Schools can use the CEEF to purchase equipment such as wind and solar power units, wireless 3D laser scanners, virtual reality kits, energy storage systems, and cutting-edge software and hardware.
Equipment can also contribute to existing programs such as Gippsland Tech School's 'Renewable Future', which introduces students to solar and wind energy generation, or Casey Tech School's 'Discovering energy', in which students conduct experiments to optimise the production of renewable energy and its use in vehicles and homes.
The CEEF also enables Tech Schools to deliver programs which spark students' interest in renewable energy and prepares them with skills for a range of jobs including carbon sector specialists, electric vehicle repair technicians, battery design specialists, energy auditors and energy efficiency engineers.
The CEEF is part of $116 million investment in the Victorian Budget 203/24 – which included funding to create six new Tech Schools in Brimbank, Dandenong, Frankston, Hume, Wangaratta and Warrnambool.
Victoria is on track to deliver the infrastructure and services needed to meet its target of 95 per cent renewable energy generation across the state by 2035.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Ben Carroll
“The Tech School students of today can look forward to rewarding careers in the clean energy sector that will power every public hospital, school, police station and government building with renewables.”
“The fund ensures students have the latest industry-standard equipment, software and hardware at their fingertips so they can be ready to make outstanding contributions to the renewable energy sector now and in the future.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio
“The Clean Energy Equipment Fund is making a valuable contribution to helping achieve Victoria’s target of 95 percent renewable energy generation across the state by 2035.”
CLEAN ENERGY EQUIPMENT FUND 2023-24 RECPIENTS
TECH SCHOOL | FUNDING | PURPOSE |
| Ballarat Tech School | $230,466 | To purchase Cyber Games software, Smart Lego City and chemistry equipment to build a cyber system and Lego city representing Ballarat so students can experience the operation of future smart cities and how to defend infrastructure from cyber threats. The Tech School will also construct, test and modify a lithium-ion coin cell, hydrogen fuel cell and vanadium flow reactors. |
| Banyule Nillumbik Tech School | $278,762 | To purchase wind turbine, solar panel and battery storage systems, a wind tunnel, media production and virtual reality equipment, and to develop a renewable energy curriculum. Students will create solutions to support Victoria’s sustainable and renewable energy future. |
| Casey Tech School | $167,086 | To purchase solar panel, inverter, battery storage, and portable power station equipment plus a bank of 3D printers to design and manufacture solar-powered solutions that can be applied to a disaster scenario where mainstream power is unavailable or in short supply. |
| Geelong Tech School | $271,200 | To purchase a city planning application and power units so students can develop a multi-player app to build renewables equipment, and participate in a wind and solar trial with partner schools. |
| Gippsland Tech School | $188,195 | To purchase renewable energy kits, carbon printer, Cyber Games software, and educational resources to enhance the school’s contribution to clean energy. The Tech School will also co-design new programs with partner schools, industry and education providers to embed clean energy studies into the curriculum. |
| Monash Tech School | $257,575 | To purchase a long-range 3D wireless laser scanner, Buildings Alive program, Matter. City waste sensing products, Co2 sensors and online aerial imagery software licences to study the interconnection of natural resources, technology and human activity to determine potential reduction in energy consumption. |
| Whittlesea Tech School | $215,204 | To purchase Cyber Games software and associated equipment, virtual reality headsets and video production software, and educational resources to learn about renewable energy, their sources and the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to renewables. |
| Wyndham Tech School | $248,900 | To purchase 30 sets of virtual reality headsets and accessories, associated software and hardware, two-way radios and the Unreal Engine training platform to create a clear pathway from Year 7 to 12 into the renewable energy sector. Students will build a virtual training platform to create an energy network that delivers safe, clean and reliable energy through the Tech School’s Renewable Energy Academy. |
| Yarra Ranges Tech School | $245,600 | To purchase the Clean Energies Electronics and Monitoring program, Clean Energies Science Fundamentals program, Clean Energies Exploration program and creation of a Clean Energies Teaching Space, and development of a learning hub. Year 9, 10, and VCE Vocational Major students will learn about energy electrical skills through sensor technology and coding, the use of wind, solar and storage technologies. |