The Victorian Government is making sure long-term opportunities are created for Victorian workers and businesses.
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Offshore wind and Victoria’s renewable energy workforce
Today, around 45,000 people work in Victoria’s energy sector. As electrification accelerates and new infrastructure is developed, demand for skilled workers will continue to grow.
Between now and 2040, Victoria’s energy workforce is expected to expand by more than 50 per cent, reaching approximately 68,000 workers right across the State.
Between 2026 and 2040, around 37 per cent of our energy workforce demand is expected to be driven by activity in regional Victoria.
Offshore wind will create a range of jobs, including office roles, engineering and trades, across all stages of development with demand growing as projects move into construction and operations.
At its peak, the offshore wind sector is estimated to require up to 2,300 – 4,000 jobs across Australia with the vast majority in Victoria.
As the industry matures and reaches its operational phase, an estimated 1,500 – 1,750 ongoing jobs will be needed over 30-years, particularly in regions close to ports and offshore wind areas like Gippsland.
You can explore the drop-down menu to learn more about job opportunities at each stage of development.
Industrial, mechanical and production engineers (HE)
Civil engineering professionals (HE)
Electrical engineers (HE)
Electronics engineers (HE)
Electricians (VET)
HE – higher education, VET – vocational education training, OTHER – pathways outside of VET and HE
Duration: 3-4 years per project
Construction and installation
Trades workers and technicians (VET)
Industrial, mechanical and production engineers (HE)
Building and engineering technicians (VET)
Electronic engineering draftspersons and technicians (HE/VET)
Mechanical engineering draftspersons and technicians (HE/VET)
Power generation plant operators (OTHER/VET)
Marine transport professionals (VET)
General managers (HE)
Construction managers (HE/VET)
Electricians (VET)
Manufacturing and assembly
Welders and steelworkers (VET)
Product assemblers (OTHER)
Structural steel and welding trades workers (VET)
Production managers (OTHER/VET)
Machine operators (OTHER)
Crane, hoist and lift operators (OTHER)
HE – higher education, VET – vocational education training, OTHER – pathways outside of VET and HE
Duration: Windfarm’s lifetime, 30+ years per project
Operations and maintenance
Trades workers and technicians (VET)
Industrial, mechanical and production engineers (HE)
General managers (HE)
Marine transport professionals (VET)
Product assemblers (OTHER)
Supply and distribution managers (HE/VET)
Power generation plant operators (OTHER/VET)
Construction managers (HE/VET)
Electricians (VET)
HE – higher education, VET – vocational education training, OTHER – pathways outside of VET and HE
Building local workforce and industry capability
The Victorian Government is building local capability to support a strong, long-term offshore wind industry that creates lasting opportunities for Victorian workers, industry and businesses.
Explore the drop-down menu to learn more about how we are building workforce and industry capability for offshore wind.
The Victorian Energy Jobs Plan (VEJP) aims to:
Support more people to enter and thrive in the energy workforce, including transitioning workers
Increase diversity in the energy workforce by supporting entry of underrepresented groups, such as women, people with disabilities and First Peoples
Identify how Victoria’s education and training sector can support the needs of current and future energy workforce
Support local communities across Victoria to benefit from energy sector jobs and skills development
Improve industry confidence and increase renewable energy investment in Victoria.
Explore the Victorian Energy Jobs Plan to learn more about Victoria’s renewable energy workforce, including offshore wind.
Victoria’s offshore wind industry is committed to ensuring that women, particularly those in regional areas and from diverse backgrounds, share equitably in workforce opportunities.
The Renewable Jobs Taskforce has been established to maximise local job and industry opportunities and coordinate engagement across offshore wind projects.
It includes representatives from unions, industry associations, businesses and community.
Gippsland’s highly skilled coal-fired power generation workforce is in a great position to transition to offshore wind. A large percentage of the workforce is trade or skill based and used to working in highly industrialised work settings.
The Transition opportunities coal to offshore wind report outlines the training and re-skilling pathways for this workforce.
As part of the $50 million Victorian Renewable Energy TAFE Centre of Excellence, TAFE Gippsland’s Morwell campus will deliver training in renewable technologies.
Funded under the National Skills Agreement via both the Victorian and Australian governments, the centre includes the construction of a $15 million renewable energy digital training facility and will provide digital training and virtual reality technology to simulate renewable energy working environments, such as offshore wind and transmission infrastructure, and provide access to training with large-scale renewable energy equipment.
Training will be delivered from the Morwell campus across Australia’s TAFE network in renewable energy technologies, including South West TAFE, Holmesglen Institute and Federation TAFE.
Sets requirements for local content (goods and services).
These requirements support a solid foundation for increased local participation in future projects, reflecting that offshore wind is a new industry in Australia and the significant global competition for the technology. Learn more about Local Jobs First requirements.
Local content settings include:
Demonstrate how local content will be maximised during project delivery.
Achieve at least 80% local content, averaged over 30 years
Creates long-term regional employment
Excludes major components (e.g. nacelles), treated as capital expenditure
Maximise use of locally milled and fabricated steel.
Maximise use of goods, materials and services from regional Victorian suppliers.
At least 10% of labour hours during relevant onshore construction activities and during operations and maintenance phase must be delivered by apprentices, trainees and cadets.
Developers must provide:
A Supply Chain Action Plan and Engagement Strategy that sets out the plan for investing in and developing the local industry and workforce
A Local Industry Development Plan (LIDP) that clearly outlines local content and job commitments, including opportunities for apprentices, trainees, cadets within the project.
Enable Victorian and Australian businesses to tender for project work.
Social procurement requirements
Developers are required to develop and submit a social procurement commitment proposal that sets targets and proposes initiatives for supporting the participation of women, the First Peoples of Victoria and disadvantaged Victorians.
The proposal will need to include:
Detailing the roles of individuals from target groups (the First Peoples of Victoria, disadvantaged Victorians, and women) currently within the organisation.
Outlining any current initiatives that promote inclusive employment for the target groups.
Detailed plan to implement new actions supporting employment for disadvantaged groups.
Setting clear, measurable targets and a framework for monitoring and reporting progress throughout the project lifecycle.
Getting involved
To review project opportunities and work packages in the Gippsland region visit the ICN Gateway.
