Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

As we all know, Australia is currently facing a skills shortage. To address this, we need organisations with the experience and passion to train our apprentices and tradespeople. I wish to congratulate the National Electrical and Communication Association's apprentices who have just graduated and will now be at the forefront of the electrification of our nation. This class of 66 graduates is the first to complete Certificate III in Electrotechnology at NECA's Chullora Centre of Excellence. The class of 2022-23 had their studies disrupted by COVID. NECA was able to switch to an online delivery model within three days of lockdown occurring, whereas apprentices studying at some other facilities endured delays of up to six months in their course delivery.

NECA's Chullora Centre of Excellence currently has more than 350 students completing electrical apprenticeships, 15 per cent of which are female, compared to the national average of two per cent of electricians being women. What make NECA stand out is their completion rates as well as the diversity of their apprentices. The completion rate for apprentices at NECA's Chullora Centre of Excellence is more than 90 per cent, compared to the national average of 55 per cent. This is assisted by NECA's mentoring and support programs, offering a range of services to ensure that apprentices are well supported throughout the completion of their studies.

In addition to developing and growing workforces of tomorrow, NECA is crying out for the contractors to get a fair deal from this government. The apprentices of today are the subcontractors of tomorrow. In February this year alone the number of insolvencies nationally already exceeded the whole of last financial year, and we still have months to go.