Wes McKnight, president of the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA), has announced that James Tinslay, NECA's national CEO, will be stepping down at the end of the year. [ + ]

Fluke Industrial President Wes Pringle has been named as President of Fluke Corporation and will now be responsible for all Fluke global businesses. The company has also expanded the responsibilities of Jimmy Hwong, President, Asia Pacific. [ + ]

North Queensland’s top electricians were acknowledged at MEA’s North Queensland Excellence Awards. Fourteen awards were presented to businesses and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding industry achievements. [ + ]

While training organisations have welcomed the Coalition's proposed apprentice loan scheme, others have been less pleased with the proposal, saying it is not the answer to low apprenticeship completion rates. [ + ]

Toyota Motorsport GmbH, the engineering services supplier pioneering motorsport-related electrical vehicle (EV) technology, has received a customised electric vehicle EVlink DC quick-charging station from Schneider Electric. [ + ]

NECA will partner with the Safety Show Sydney this year. The Sydney event is the last safety show for 2013 and will be held at the Sydney Showground on 3-5 September. [ + ]

The Fair Work Commission has issued a decision to change a number of award provisions relating to apprentices. Apprentice wages will increase and minimum award rates for adult apprentices will be increased. [ + ]

Two new large-scale solar farms will be built in the ACT after Zhenfa Solar and Elementus Energy were announced as the winning bidders of the ACT’s Solar Auction. [ + ]

The Australian Centre for Health Innovation (CHI) and Schneider Electric have reached a partnership agreement that will enable hands-on interaction with Schneider’s intelligent, integrated healthcare technologies. [ + ]

Improving the energy efficiency of its building portfolio could cut the federal government’s energy expenditure by more than $35 million per year, the GBCA says. [ + ]

ABB’s 500 MW HVDC light interconnection between Ireland and the UK enables leveraging of wind energy and facilitates power flows between the two countries. [ + ]

Entries for the Brightest Spark competition are closing soon and Master Electricians Australia is urging apprentices to get their entries in to avoid missing out. [ + ]

The 7SD Project in Toowoomba has been announced as a finalist in the Australian Solar Installation Project of the Year. The project was carried out by Excel Solar Pty Ltd using products from CNPV Solar Power SA. [ + ]

IKEA has announced plans to purchase a 7.65 MW wind farm in north-west Ireland as part of its plan to generate as much renewable energy as it consumes by 2020. [ + ]

The future is bright for new clean energy technologies such as large-scale solar, marine energy, geothermal and storage due to state and federal government support, Clean Energy Council CEO David Green has said. [ + ]