Sustainable Energy in the Domestic and Commercial Environment (SEDCE) - Project

The SEDCE project is a response to the New Zealand Energy Strategy and the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy launched by the government in 2007.

The Electricity Supply and Electrotechnology Industry Training Organisations (ESITO and ETITO) expect that these strategies will impact directly on their industries. They are keenly aware of the growing focus on environmental sustainability and the important role ITOs will play in disseminating the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve improved energy efficiencies in the built environment.

Within the project, each ITO will determine skills and knowledge required by practitioners in their respective sectors and then develop new training material as necessary.

All qualifications will be registered  on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) which is maintained by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

The project will also produce a SEDCE education plan to document how new training material will be implemented.

For more information contact brianf@esito.org.nz

Updates

May 2010
During May, previously reported activities continued in preparation for the first meeting of the Renewable Energy Systems Consolation Group set for 2 June 2010.
The Project Manager attended the New Zealand Sustainable Energy Conference (SB10) in Wellington. Papers covering all manner of sustainable energy topics were presented including several addressing design aspects of sustainable buildings and renewable energy systems. However, the only reference to the need for competent installers and service people for renewable energy technologies was by a speaker who expressed frustration over how difficult it is to find one. This provided an opening to mention the SEDCE project and to emphasize the importance for industry participants to ask their respective ITOs to establish sustainable energy training programs for their respective trade practitioners. They needed to be aware that other ITOs in the building and associated trades sectors are unlikely to take the initiative to develop training before first receiving requests from their industry stakeholders.


April 2010
Approximately 30 participants in sustainable energy industries were invited to join an Industry Consultancy Group for the project. Some have accepted and further responses are expected. The initial meeting of the group is planned to occur on a yet to be confirmed date in May 2010. Prescriptive material from existing overseas renewable energy (RE) qualifications was analysed and indexed to facilitate rapid retrieval when required. Preliminary draft unit standards covering all subject areas envisaged in a level 4 certificate in renewable energy were produced. These drafts will form a platform for the Industry Consultancy Group to work from as they determine what RE qualifications for electrotechnical trade practitioners are actually needed in the New Zealand context.


March 2010
The March meeting of the Electrotechnology Advisory Group confirmed support for ETITO resources to continue working closely with ESITO on the project.
The next significant step in the project is to form an industry consultancy group composed of approximately 25 representatives from a broad range of organisations associated with small scale renewable energy technologies. Members of this group will bring the knowledge and experience necessary to ensure any resulting qualifications align with industry requirements. They will review progress and provide advice at several points during the development process. Invitations to participate have been issued and the first meeting of the consultancy group is planned for May 2010.


February 2010
Research to analyse and collate material potentially relevant to renewable energy training for the electrotechnology industry group continued through February. A set of potential subject areas was prepared for presentation to the ETITO Electrotechnology Advisory Group in early March. Soon after that meeting, a project Consultancy Group composed of industry representatives will be formed to ensure qualification development within the project is in line with industry requirements.


January 2010
The collaborating ITOs met in January to programme project activities for 2010. Initially there will be two parallel streams of activity leading to the confirmation of the renewable and sustainable energy qualifications to be developed.
One stream of activity will involve the selection of a wide range of industry representatives to form a project consultancy group. The other, a research process, will identify material available in potential subject areas and prepare draft qualification plans to provide a structure for the consultancy group to work with and confirm requirements. Confirmation of qualification requirements is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2010.