OpenAI's Sam Altman recently said, “We’re going to need to build more compute.”

More compute → more data centres → more energy. And in 2025, that means more clean energy.

In July 2025, I had the privilege of visiting the Siemens–Swinburne Energy Transition Hub at Swinburne University's Hawthorn campus, and what I experienced left me optimistic, challenged, and energised about the scale of the opportunity and responsibility we now carry in transitioning Australia’s workforce to a clean energy future.

Led by Professor Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, the Hub is more than just a research facility — it’s a working example of how industry, academia, and peak bodies can come together with purpose and urgency. The Hub’s work spans smart grids, vehicle-to-grid systems, renewable integration, and hydrogen – but critically, it’s also becoming a living laboratory for workforce development.

Australian Renewables Academy was delighted to be on the ground this week in Port Augusta at the 2025 TACTIC Conference. It was a privilege to be alongside passionate community leaders, employers, government partners and industry.

Thank you to everyone who joined David Moody and Mandy Masters in conversations around hashtag#workforce and hashtag#community-led solutions in the Upper Spencer Gulf and South Australia, focused on making the clean energy transition work for regional South Australia.

The clean energy transition in Australia isn’t just a question of infrastructure—it’s about people. This was made abundantly clear at last week’s ARA-hosted breakfast workshop in Port Augusta, where leaders from across government, education, industry, and community came together to confront the reality: we can’t reach net zero unless we bring regional communities with us.

In the Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula, we have all the ingredients: sun, wind, land, infrastructure and now, a surge in investment. However, we lack a coordinated, strategic approach to workforce development that ensures these benefits flow to locals.

It’s time to get serious about a clean energy workforce strategy that is regionally led, community-grounded, and backed by government policy that goes beyond headlines.

The Federal Government’s $70 million commitment to First Nations clean energy projects.

On a cold winter's night earlier this week in Geelong, Victoria, something important happened—not in a boardroom or a conference hall, but around dinner tables.

A cross-section of clean energy thinkers and doers were brought together by the Australian Renewables Academy for a candid, action-focused conversation about Geelong's role in Australia's new energy transition. It was a night of shared insights, challenging questions, and, most importantly, a common purpose in Victoria's largest regional centre and second-largest city.

Collaboration was the word of the night, but not just as a buzzword. In the conversation facilitated by ARA President, Bernadette O'Connor, we spoke about what it actually takes to collaborate when so much of our current system, especially around procurement and tendering, rewards competition over cooperation.

Victoria is fast-tracking approval for a massive new battery project, strategically located next to two new wind farms — a decisive step forward in building a resilient, renewable-powered grid.

At the Australian Renewables Academy, we see this as more than just infrastructure — it’s a signal of growing demand for skilled workers across the clean energy supply chain. From battery technicians and wind turbine specialists to project managers and grid integration experts, the clean energy transition is creating real, long-term career opportunities.

Australia stands at a pivotal point in its history. With the Future Made in Australia (FMIA) legislation now taking shape, we’re seeing the Federal Government making some bold bets on our ability to lead in clean energy, value-added manufacturing, and sovereign capability.

At the Australian Renewables Academy we welcome this shift. It sends a powerful signal that the clean energy transition is not just an environmental imperative — it’s an economic opportunity.

But opportunity alone won’t guarantee outcomes. The success of this agenda will depend on how deeply, practically and inclusively it is implemented, particularly in the regions where the clean energy transformation is already underway.

As Australia's clean energy transformation accelerates, the intersection between digital infrastructure and energy systems is becoming a national security priority. On 16 July, the Australian Renewables Academy joined a focused group of sector leaders for the @Cyber Energia Dinner and Presentation, a thought-provoking event that explored how we can secure the future of renewable energy.

China Breaks the Solar Barrier — And What It Means for Australia’s Workforce

We’re excited to share that we’ve delivered another Landholder Liaison Officer Services course in Melbourne — and for the very first time, in Brisbane!

A highlight of the Brisbane class was welcoming Krystal Baker as a guest speaker from the Office of the Coordinator-General, who provided a valuable and very relevant overview of their role in Queensland’s infrastructure space.

Earlier this week, the Australian Renewables Academy was pleased to host a breakfast workshop in Port Augusta, bringing together leaders from government, education, industry and community across the Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula.

The focus: workforce development that puts regional people first.
As investment in clean energy accelerates across South Australia, we must ensure that regional communities are not just consulted but are actively leading the transition.

Australia is sprinting toward a clean energy future—but stuck wearing shoes built for a different race. The frameworks we’ve relied on to protect our environment are now some of the biggest barriers to decarbonising it.

At the Australian Renewables Academy (ARA), part of the Management Governance Australia Group, we work with people building the future—developers, Traditional Owners, policy thinkers, engineers, investors and decision-makers. And they’re all hitting the same wall: outdated environmental approval processes that are not fit for purpose.

On a cold winter's night earlier this week in Geelong, Victoria, something important happened—not in a boardroom or a conference hall, but around dinner tables.

A cross-section of clean energy thinkers and doers were brought together by the Australian Renewables Academy for a candid, action-focused conversation about Geelong's role in Australia's new energy transition. It was a night of shared insights, challenging questions, and, most importantly, a common purpose in Victoria's largest regional centre and second-largest city.

Collaboration was the word of the night, but not just as a buzzword. In the conversation facilitated by ARA President, Bernadette O'Connor , we spoke about what it actually takes to collaborate when so much of our current system, especially around procurement and tendering, rewards competition over cooperation.

The Australian Renewables Academy (ARA) has successfully convened 'Dinner & Dialogue' events across the Renewable Energy Zones in Gippsland, Warrnambool, Whyalla, Darwin, Mount Gambier, Townsville, Geelong, and most recently, Newcastle. These forums have brought together key stakeholders from the clean energy sector, supply chains, education and training, government, and local communities.

ARA convened its largest regional 'Dinner and Dialogue' event to date in Newcastle, engaging over 30 local leaders and experts in a strategic dialogue on the region's transition to a clean energy future. Held in the historically mining-centric Hunter Region, this gathering addressed the challenges and opportunities of workforce development and educational alignment within the emerging clean energy economy.

The event featured rich discussions on investment hesitation, educational needs, fair wages for the clean energy sector and the development of robust community and business strategies to support sustainable growth and innovation in the sector.

ARA and RECOA will introduce RECOA's Groundbreaking Offshore Wind Online Training to Australia’ s renewable energy industry in the upcoming webinar on 7 August 2024, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM AEST.

ARA hosted its largest regional 'Dinner and Dialogue' event yet in Geelong at The Gordon TAFE's Share Plate on 18 September 2024. This event brought together 28 community leaders, industry experts and educators to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid growth in Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, and Golden Plains.

Discussions centred on balancing regional expansion with community welfare, enhancing educational pathways and fostering a sustainable clean energy workforce, setting the stage for a robust dialogue on shaping a resilient future for Victoria's second-largest city.

This article presents updated insights from ARA's 'Dinner & Dialogue' event Townsville, reflecting the conversations held at the event, held in September 2024.

The article is one in a series reporting on ARA events conducted across Renewable Energy Zones around Australia.

Each event in this series provides a platform for stakeholders from the clean energy sector, supply chains, education and training organisations and regional communities to engage in facilitated discussions about clean energy workforce development and growth issues that matter to them.

The discussions play a key role in guiding our strategic direction and initiatives for Australia's transition to clean energy, focusing on workforce development and sustainable growth.

The Australian Renewables Academy is delighted to have been successful in our tender to deliver the Federal Government’s New Energy Apprenticeships Mentoring Program. The program is designed to support the clean energy sector by maximising retention and completion rates of Australian apprenticeships in clean energy occupations and connecting apprentices to skilled workers and businesses in the clean energy industry.