Opinions differ over Coalition's apprentice loan scheme
26 August, 2013While 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.
Pre-contractor Program helps sparkies launch small businesses
12 July, 2013Master Electricians Australia is offering a new mentoring program to help small businesses in the construction industry by providing free mentoring and training in business management for electrical contractors.
Brightest Spark competition tackles electrical safety incidents
04 June, 2013Master Electricians Australia has launched a competition to encourage electrical safety in response to a spate of severe electrical safety incidents in NSW.
Evolution of the electrical industry
27 May, 2013 by Malcolm Richards, CEO, Master Electricians AustraliaThe electrical industry is constantly evolving. With new products popping up on the market and ever-changing energy-efficient options, the industry is always looking for the next big thing. This means businesses need to constantly be improving to keep up with the rapidly growing industry.
Australia urgently needs ICT infrastructure design certification
27 May, 2013 by Paul Stathis, BiCSIAt the recent BICSI Conference in Melbourne, ICT engineering consultant Lawrence McKenna stressed the costly ramifications of inadequately skilled ICT cabling designers in Australia, calling for the industry to ‘raise the bar’ or suffer further financial losses.
Make migration easier for overseas electricians, MEA urges
24 May, 2013The lack of electricians entering Australia from overseas is severely stunting growth within the construction sector, Master Electricians Australia (MEA) claims.
Schneider welcomes 12 new engineers to graduate program
23 May, 2013Twelve engineering graduates are preparing to take part in Schneider Electric’s Energy Generation Graduate Programme Assessment Days, which are being held in Sydney and Melbourne throughout May.
Drop in apprentice numbers concerning, says ACCI
23 May, 2013The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has expressed concerns over the drop in numbers of apprentices.
Cuts to SAAA payments hurting small business, says MEA
30 April, 2013Changes to the Federal Government’s Support for Adult Australian Apprentices (SAAA) payments are hurting small businesses, Master Electricians Australia has said.
MEA launches energy efficiency training course
22 March, 2013The new Master Electrician Energy Efficiency course is important training for those wanting to build their business by entering the rapidly growing energy efficiency market. The course covers a wide range of concepts to give electricians the confidence to provide energy-efficient solutions to their customers.
Digital TV training partnership to benefit electrical industry
19 March, 2013SkillsConnect Australia is now offering Certificate III in Telecommunications Digital Reception Technology in locations across Australia. Thanks to a new partnership with Matchmaster Communications, this complete certificate is now available at a reduced price due to a generous government subsidy.
Apprentice Kickstart incentive extended
18 March, 2013Master Electricians Australia (MEA) advises that the federal government has announced an extension of its $57.5 million Apprentice Kickstart Initiative. The Kickstart Initiative was introduced late last year and has been extended until 30 April 2013. Employers are set to benefit from this program, receiving almost a 50% boost to existing incentives for employing an apprentice.
Apprentices earn less than McDonald’s workers, study shows
04 March, 2013A University of Sydney report has found that electrical apprentice award rates are only slightly higher than welfare payments and fall mostly below the Henderson Poverty Line.
Increasing apprentice pay could damage industry, NECA says
04 March, 2013Increasing electrical apprentice pay rates would have a damaging impact on the industry and result in fewer employers taking on new apprentices, the CEO of NECA has said.
Expanded Kickstart to boost engineering trades
04 February, 2013More Australians will get the opportunity to learn an engineering trade as part of an expansion to the Gillard government’s $57.5 million Kickstart Initiative. The Minister for Skills, Senator Chris Evans, announced that nine additional key engineering trades are now eligible for Kickstart payments, which triple the incentives made to employers in the first year of taking on an apprentice.
