New college will train over 500 electrical apprentices annually

The electrical and telecommunications industry in Western Australia will receive a massive injection of skilled workers thanks to a new purpose-built multimillion-dollar training facility in Jandakot that officially opened 30 July.

The College of Electrical Training (CET), the largest private trainer of electrical apprentices in Western Australia, has built a new Southern campus that will train over 500 local apprentices annually and also cater for students from overseas. CET trains in total over 11,200 apprentices each year.

The new campus was built after the CET secured 8000 m² of land at Jandakot and received federal government funding of $2.2 million for construction.

The General Manager of the College of Electrical Training, Geoff Hender, said the college is good news for the Western Australian trade community and people interested in a career in the electrical industry: “The electrical and telecommunications industries need more skilled workers and our new campus in Jandakot will be providing 500 qualified electricians each year that can hit the ground running when entering the workforce.

“With huge government projects like the National Broadband Network, massive infrastructure developments and gigantic mining projects in Western Australia, the opportunity for qualified tradespeople to develop a great career has never been better.”

Peak electrical industry body NECA believes the training facility will be integral in developing the skills of new electricians and provides an essential professional training environment that will encourage younger apprentices to finish their trade.

NECA’s group Chief Executive Officer in Western Australia, Peter Tuck, said apprentices are the lifeblood of the industry and the federal government funding will certainly give the industry a much needed boost: “The $2.2 million dollars we received from the federal government under the Industry Skill Centre Funding and the Investing in Community Education and Training program will absolutely help our industry and importantly help young people in WA forge new careers in the electrical and telecommunications industry sector.”