News & Views

NECA is pleased to announce that the “establishment” phase of the “Electrical Innovative Delivery & Pathways Project” – referred to as the Alternative Pathways Project or “APP”, is now underway. In fact, by the end of October we hope to be well into the implementation phase.

As with any new project it’s important to understand what’s involved and what’s not involved. To this end, NECA has developed a comprehensive flyer outlining the nine elements involved in the APP. It’s important to note that NECA does not support either fully-institutionalised training or two-year apprenticeships - neither of which forms an involvement in this project.

NECA believes that for our industry to continue to be successful and relevant, we must continue to innovate and be more efficient. NECA has taken a leading position, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Government, in the development of training programs through the APP program. To put this issue into context we reiterate the following in relation to a Certificate III in Electrotechnology:

• NECA supports pre-apprenticeship programs to ensure sufficient numbers of literate and numerate applicants enter the industry;

• NECA supports courses that are a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training. These are underpinned by an agreement in a competency based system where the training contract is formulated through discussion with the employer, apprentice and Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and must meet the needs of all parties involved;

• NECA supports the completion of “electrical work” by employees with Certificate III qualifications and the relevant workers licence;

• NECA supports theory training taught as part of the Certificate III and that training must be taught by an RTO;

• NECA supports blended learning, facilitated by an RTO;

• NECA does not support a two-year apprenticeship; and

• NECA does not support fully institutionalised training.

NECA is committed to retaining the on-the-job and off-the-job training rigour in the current system to ensure that training outcomes continue to be appropriate for obtaining a licence under electrical safety legislation to safeguard workers and the community.

If you require further detail [click here for the flyer] or reassurance as to our position re the Alternative Pathways Project, please contact your NECA on 02 9744 1099.