Vic safety body celebrates first electrician to complete new mandatory training

Energy Safe Victoria has renewed the electrical licence of the first electrician to complete the regulator’s new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program.

Energy Safe CEO Leanne Hughson issued Jian Xue Gan with his renewed licence after he was the first person to complete the CPD Skills Maintenance program in 2022.

“Putting CPD in place has been a huge effort from everyone within the industry, and we are pleased to reach this milestone where Mr Gan is the first to complete CPD as part of his licence renewal,” Hughson said.

The eight-hour training is a requirement of electrical licence renewal in Victoria. So far about 1000 electrical licence holders have completed their Skills Maintenance training, with more than 8000 workers from the electrotechnology, renewable and new energy sectors expected to complete training in 2023–24.

The program was launched in August last year, led by Energy Safe with resources developed by education provider Future Energy Skills.

CPD was supported by a committee made up of Energy Safe, the Electrical Trades Union, the National Electrical and Communications Association, and the Institute of Electrical Inspectors.

Skills Maintenance provides training on a range of topics, including safe isolation, mandatory testing, industry changes and the responsibilities of licensed workers.

The course operates in a classroom environment and is available at metropolitan and regional locations, run by carefully selected educational providers. Gan, who completed his course at the Centre For U in North Melbourne, said he was delighted to be the first to have completed the CPD Skills Maintenance training.

“My CPD training was not at all scary, and it was very helpful to be able to refresh my knowledge of key regulations and safety issues,” Gan said.

“I would urge my fellow licence holders to book in for their CPD in good time, and I am sure they will enjoy it very much, as I did.”

CPD will also add a Skills Development component later this year. It will equip licence holders with new skills, such as in renewable energy technologies.

Energy Safe aims to ensure all electrical workers go home safe at the end of the working day, with CPD playing a critical role in updating them on changes to Australian Standards, regulations and new technology.

The program addresses the ‘Three Cs’ — Currency, Competency fade and Complacency:

• Currency reflects how up to date everyone working in the industry is.
• Competency — how well everyone does their jobs — is clearly critically important to safe working.
• Complacency is one of the leading causes of workplace accidents and, in worst-case scenarios, it can cost lives.
   

Many industries now have continuing professional development as a key requirement for licence renewal. Licensed electrical worker CPD is a recognition of the professional status of tradespeople.

For more information, visit esv.vic.gov.au/licensing/continuing-professional-development.

Image caption: Jian Xue Gan with Energy Safe Victoria CEO Leanne Hughson.