More than 80 electrical apprentices in central Queensland have been left without a clear training pathway after a not-for-profit training organisation abruptly ceased operations in Rockhampton, with small businesses warning the disruption is now stretching into its fourth month and showing little sign of resolution.
Electro Group, which had delivered electrical training in the region for more than a decade through a joint union and industry arrangement, informed employers by email in April that it would no longer be operating in Rockhampton. The organisation had been receiving state government subsidies to run its courses, and a letter sent to employers at the time advised that it would "no longer be funded" by the department to deliver its programs.
Apprentices forced to travel to Brisbane at their own cost
For Rockhampton electrician Wayne Harris, who runs an electrical business with his partner Brooke Bolt, the closure has created a cascade of problems that the government has so far been unable to fully resolve. His fourth-year apprentices have had no option but to travel to Brisbane to complete their qualifications — an expense that has largely fallen on the apprentices themselves.
"The fourth-years have had to go to Brisbane. There's no other option to finish their training at their cost," Mr Harris said. "The government's offered a little bit of incentive money, but it's nowhere near enough."
The situation for newer apprentices is equally fraught. The main alternative provider in the region — the TAFE campus now amalgamated with CQUniversity — was unable to absorb the displaced students, with enrolments for this year's intakes already full.
"We can't get the first years now into their studies and into their blocks because they can't accept them," Mr Harris said, adding that he was aware of multiple other small businesses facing identical challenges. "It just needs a good hard look at the whole situation and get an outcome for central Queensland."
Government points to 2028 TAFE expansion as solution
Queensland Employment and Training Minister Ros Bates did not directly address questions about the funding arrangement with Electro Group, instead stating that the decision to cease operations in Rockhampton was made by the organisation itself. The minister said the government supported investment in diverse training options for apprentices, but declined to confirm whether any effort was underway to reopen Electro Group in the region.
The state government has pointed to its planned $60 million TAFE Centre of Excellence in Rockhampton as a long-term answer to the region's electrotechnology training shortfall. However, that facility is not expected to boost enrolment capacity until the end of 2028 — leaving a significant gap in the immediate term for the more than 80 apprentices currently without a training home.
CQUniversity currently has more than 150 electrotechnology apprentices enrolled in Rockhampton, making additional capacity difficult to find in the short term.
Industry calls for flexible, employer-friendly alternative
Former educators and small business operators say there is genuine demand for an industry-run training option that operates differently from the university model. Jamie Wynne, who taught at both Electro Group and CQUniversity, said employers valued the shorter training blocks and scheduling flexibility that Electro Group could offer — something the university structure has struggled to replicate.
"Employers couldn't get their training notices on time. They couldn't get it to suit their hours and/or the times of the year when they need their apprentices to go to college," Mr Wynne said.
That flexibility is at the heart of why many small electrical businesses preferred Electro Group in the first place. With apprentices needing to be on job sites at commercially critical times, the rigid block-release schedules common to larger institutions can create real problems for small operators who cannot afford to have their workforce pulled away at inconvenient times.
Broader warning over fee-free TAFE policy and private providers
The Electro Group closure has also drawn attention to what some vocational education and training leaders describe as a systemic issue. Industry voices have warned that the state government's push toward fee-free TAFE is squeezing private and not-for-profit training providers out of the market by reducing their access to government subsidies — the very funding stream that sustained Electro Group's Rockhampton operations.
Reports indicate that talks between small businesses and the government about securing an alternative training provider are progressing, though no formal announcement has been made and no timeline has been confirmed. For apprentices already mid-qualification, the uncertainty is proving costly — both financially and in terms of their career progression.
Mr Harris remained cautious about the outlook. Four months after that unexpected email landed in his inbox, he said the situation still demands urgent attention from both industry and government if central Queensland is to avoid a longer-term shortage of qualified electricians.
