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One in eight electrical apprentices are being exposed to potentially deadly shocks at work, as the industry struggles with worker shortages, lack of mentoring support and training delays. That figure is even higher among apprentices who do not start their classroom training until after their first year — with one in four of them experiencing shocks, according to a survey of more than 400 apprentices by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU). "We feel the real rate is much higher. There is no safe level of electrical shock," ETU National Secretary Michael Wright said. The union said 447 apprentices took the online survey in April and May this year, representing approximately 10 per cent of all apprentice members across the country. The ETU said because some apprentices were not undertaking critical safety lessons on CPR, health and safety, and how to control the risk of electric shock, their risk on the job increased. "It's a when, not an if, of when we're going to see more fatalities. It is simply not good enough." Since 2018, there have been six apprentice deaths from electrocution. Earlier this year, two lift companies were convicted and fined a combined total of $930,000 after the death of an apprentice electrician working unsupervised in 2021. Getting shocked 'part of the job' Fourth-year apprentice Dominic Lombardi has suffered two electric shocks during his apprenticeship. In March, he was working unsupervised on the control board of an automatic gate when he touched the back while it was live, receiving a shock at 240 volts. "I hadn't quite had as much experience as I would have liked to be working on my own, nor is it up to the standard as an apprentice to be working with completely no level of supervision," he said. "I was very dizzy for 10 minutes and possibly even more, and it was also that mental stress afterwards because of what I had learned through TAFE, that if it does not kill you in the initial shock, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's over." He said he did not approach his employer about the incident because he was worried about how they would react after previously hearing from supervisors that, "getting shocked was part of the job". Despite Mr Lombardi being able to start at TAFE months into his apprenticeship, the classes did not always line up with his training, which meant he struggled with work tasks not being suited to his level of safety knowledge at the time. "The stuff I was doing at TAFE, the units were a bit more advanced and technical, and I definitely felt that there was a gap between me and some of the other apprentices in the class," he said. "For me personally, I would like to see a better mentoring standard out there." Electrician Aaron Koole was a mature-aged apprentice who could not access TAFE until the end of his first year. During his third year, he experienced an electric shock while replacing light fittings, two weeks after starting with a new employer, when he was left alone with a first-year apprentice. "[It] made the hand a bit tingly for a couple of minutes, and yeah, it was one of those situations where it definitely could have been worse." The National Electrical and Communications Association's CEO of training and apprenticeships, Tom Emeleus, said electricians were waiting up to 18 months to get their apprentices into theory training. "Electrical training can be high-risk, but it doesn't have to be dangerous, and we address that by giving them appropriate safety training up front," he said. "It's a significant concern because electrical safety is crucial. It's a reason it's a licensed trade. "We need more training capacity in quite a few jurisdictions and we need to restructure the way training is delivered so we ensure that even if there are delays, the safety training is delivered up front." Data from Safe Work Australia, which captures reported injuries, showed 22 fatalities for electricians as a result of electrocution. Over the same period, another 37 electricians had a serious claim resulting from an electric shock. The union said those statistics were just the "tip of the iceberg", claiming most incidents were not reported. "Sometimes it's pressure from the employer, sometimes it's the culture on site that you're just supposed to walk it off," he said. "It's not good enough. Any one of these incidents is a near fatality." 'Unprecedented demand' for workers Training has fallen by about 40 per cent over the last decade across the electrical trades, which has contributed to the current shortage of 22,000 apprentices, according to the federal government-appointed council Powering Skills Organisation. Mr Wright said as the country went through multiple energy transitions at the same time, there was an "unprecedented demand for electricians". Jobs and Skills Australia data showed Australia would need up to 42,000 electricians by 2030. "As we electrify everything, this unprecedented demand means that our training system, our VET system, is groaning at the seams," he said. "TAFE simply doesn't have the capacity to be putting apprentices through at the rate that employers are hiring them." The union said its research raised questions about the taxpayer-funded Apprentice Connect Australian Provider (ACAP) scheme, which pays private companies $848 million over four years to mentor and advocate for apprentices. The ETU found 80 of the apprentices interviewed were not able to identify their ACAP mentor from a list, or knew what they were supposed to do. Others said they did not receive the right support. Mr Koole was one of them. "I believe I did have a mentor, but to be perfectly honest, I couldn't tell you who they were. I couldn't tell you anytime that I contacted them or that they reached out," he said. "I should have had someone who I could call up and be like, 'hey, this doesn't feel right. What's going on?' and if they were advocating for me correctly, they could have turned around and said, 'you're right, that's not correct, we'll speak to your employer.'" Mr Wright said it was unacceptable and called on the government to do better with the allocated funding. "At the same time we're having this critical shortage in our trades, we're having 45 per cent of apprentices getting mistreated so badly — not getting the support, not getting the training they deserve and having them dropping out instead," he said. The department monitors delivery of its mentoring services to ensure they're delivered in line with contracted requirements. Calls for national standard in training and safety Now approaching the end of his apprenticeship, Mr Lombardi encouraged others to take on the trade — despite the challenges. "It's got very good job prospects, and the skill set that you learn … is very different from the other trades in the sense that … it's very mathematical and it's very technical," he said. But he said there needed to be a national standard for electricians who were taking on apprentices. Executive Director of the Apprenticeship Employment Network in Victoria, Gary Workman, agreed there was a lack of consistent regulation when it came to safety in the industry. "Every state does this differently. We've got different regulations overlapping and gaps in regulation and very little of it is enforced," he said. "I don't think any of this helps with our completion rates. "There's a lot of near misses, incidents like injuries, cuts or a manual lifting incident. I know in Victoria we've had five or six apprentice deaths in the last decade." Skills ministers have been actively discussing training capacity across the VET and TAFE systems to lift capacity and support the workforce to skill and upskill, and dialogue is ongoing with unions and industry. In 2024, the government undertook the Strategic Review of the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System, which investigated the support available to help more people start and complete apprenticeships and traineeships. The government is now considering the findings of the review. "Every apprentice deserves to be safe and feel safe in the workplace. That's why last year I brought together my ministerial colleagues to ensure we have a zero-tolerance approach to apprentice safety and wellbeing and updated the National Code of Good Practice for Apprenticeships and Traineeships," Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles said. "Through programs like the Key Apprenticeship Program, we're backing more Australians into apprenticeships and supporting them throughout the course of their apprenticeship." In the 2025–26 budget, the Australian government committed an additional $722.8 million over four years to the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System, including $626.9 million for the new Key Apprenticeship Program, which started on July 1.
