Introducing young people to careers in renewable energy is a tricky task. How do we ensure children know it’s a career option? And how do they discover if they enjoy these kinds of tasks when the subjects aren’t typically taught in school?
Duncan Burck, CEO of MCB Business Partners, a leader in education programs and outreach, is tackling this challenge head-on. Working closely with the Workforce Transition teams at DEWR, Duncan and his team have developed Net Z(ed). This pilot program aims to bring the Net Zero and decarbonisation story to life in pre-tertiary classrooms. The goal is to build the interest and talent pipelines crucial for addressing the growing skill and workforce challenges facing the renewable energy sector and the government.
Key aspects of the program include creating short, easily deployable lesson plans for the secondary school curriculum. Crucially, Net Z(ed) also collects data on how these courses shape students’ career aspirations, helping to foster connections with a potential talent pipeline for the sector.
“The challenge for Net Zero businesses,” Burck explains, “is that nothing currently exists to sell or create awareness of the sector to young learners today.” He adds, “The market for talent is competitive. If you’re not connecting early, like other industries successfully do, it will be much harder for your industry to stand out and be a top choice for the next generation of workers. You need to be active early and often to be at the front of the line.”
Working closely with the NSW Department of Education, Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy, and selected industry partners, the Net Z(ed) pilot is currently engaging Year 7-10 students across NSW. These students are experiencing the first lesson, focused on Designing Photovoltaic Systems, integrated into their Geography, Science, and Mathematics classes.
“The lesson, curated by Professor Paul Dastoor, co-founder of Kardinia Energy, is highly engaging,” Duncan states. “Its application isn’t just connected to the fundamentals of energy and power, but also the economics of designing these systems.”
“Initial responses from all stakeholders involved, particularly teachers, have been very positive,” Duncan reports. “We’re now developing the strategy and business case for Net Z(ed) to be modelled and activated in local regions. This will allow industries there to actively support their schools in increasing awareness of Net Zero and all its opportunities for young people in their area.”
The Net Z(ed) pilot has received initial government funding. Moving forward, Duncan is confident of securing more government funding to subsidise industry involvement.
“Industry and academia are crucial partners in bringing these stories to life,” Burck emphasises. “Our government sponsors, through the piloting of these programs, are realising that in-kind contributions from businesses need to be recognised and acknowledged as part of the overall cost of bringing these stories into the classroom.”
He concludes, “One thing that makes the investment of time, and in some cases sponsorship, from our industry partners worthwhile is our ability to collect data, not just for talent identification, but also for measuring social and economic impact. We’ve found that if we can align this investment with other ESG or social commitments, the commitment to the project becomes much stronger.”
