What Powering Skills Organisation does

Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) is an Australian Government-funded Jobs and Skills Council established in August 2023 and headquartered in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. It operates under tripartite governance uniting employers, unions, and government to identify workforce skills needs across the Australian electrotechnology sector, and is led by CEO Anthea Middleton. The organisation is one of ten industry-cluster JSCs funded by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations under Australia's post-2023 industry skills architecture.

PSO manages four national Vocational Education and Training (VET) training packages — UEE (Electrotechnology), UEG (Gas), UEP (Electricity Supply), and UET (Transmission/Distribution) — covering the entire electrotechnology workforce pipeline from school-leaver entry through to specialist transmission and distribution roles. The UEE package alone spans 74 qualifications and 552 units of competency. PSO does not deliver training directly; it develops and maintains training products that are delivered downstream by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across Australia. Adjacent workstreams include commissioned workforce research (notably a Foundation for Energy study projecting a 42,000-worker shortfall by 2030), First Nations workforce development (GIRA Group partnership), secondary-school pathway pilots (Net Z(ed) with MCB Business Partners), and scoping reviews in HVAC-R with AIRAH, AMCA, and ARC.

The business model is non-commercial: PSO operates as an industry body funded by public money, with no direct fee revenue from training delivery, students, or RTOs. It generates policy and standards outputs rather than monetisable products, and its value to industry participants is mediated through tripartite governance and government-recognised competency standards rather than market pricing. The organisation employs between 11 and 50 staff.

Name

Powering Skills Organisation

Legal name

Powering Skills Organisation Ltd.

Website

https://poweringskills.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Powering Skills Organisation is an Australian government-funded Jobs and Skills Council that develops and maintains four national VET training packages (UEE, UEG, UEP, UET) covering the electrotechnology workforce under tripartite employer-union-government governance, funded by DEWR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical Power Systems & Utility Linework (Transmission/Distribution) (EDAOABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Motor Controls, Generators & Rotating Equipment (EDAOABAL)

Keywords

• Vocational education training
• Workforce development services
• Skills standards management
• Energy sector training packages
• Apprenticeship pathway programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane, QLD

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Powering Skills Organisation is a Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Australian Government and managed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. As a statutory body, the organization receives government appropriations to fulfill its role as system steward for the energy, gas, and renewables workforce.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Powering Skills Organisation develops, maintains, and reforms four national Vocational Education and Training (VET) Training Packages (UEE Electrotechnology, UEG Gas Industry, UEP Electricity Supply Industry - Generation Sector, and UET Transmission Distribution and Rail Sector) covering qualifications, units of competency, and skill sets for Australia's energy, gas, and renewables workforce. It serves as the government-designated system steward, convening employers, unions, and governments in a tripartite arrangement, while producing workforce analytics via its Data Dashboard and research such as the Foundation for Energy report. PSO is funded by the Australian Government through DEWR and does not commercially sell training; its packages are delivered through Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).

Product overview

Powering Skills Organisation (PSO) is a Jobs and Skills Council for Australia's Energy, Gas and Renewables sector, funded by the Australian Government. PSO does not offer a single unified product but rather manages a portfolio of four national Training Packages (UEE Electrotechnology, UEG Gas Industry, UEP Generation Sector, and UET Transmission Distribution and Rail Sector) that contain qualifications, units of competency, and skill sets. These training packages are the core 'products' PSO develops, reviews, and maintains. PSO also produces research publications (such as the Foundation for Energy report), provides a Workforce and Training Data Dashboard, and undertakes major reform projects like the UEE Full Training Product Review. The organization brings together employers, unions, and governments in a tripartite arrangement to find solutions to skills and workforce challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000 additional energy trades workers needed by 2030 - PSO research identifies numeracy gaps as a measurable contributor to apprenticeship attrition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GIRA GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026GIRA Group, a First Nations-owned and led business, partnered with PSO on the First Nations Power Security Project to examine how Australia's clean energy transition can deliver stronger, more equitable outcomes for First Nations peoples through training, employment, and economic participation.
• Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSO collaborates with ARC, Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), and Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of Australia (AMCA) on HVAC-R industry reviews and workforce development.
• NEOENminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEOEN partnered with Canberra Institute of Technology and Floodlight Content Agency to develop Futureville game, aimed at engaging Year 9-12 students in renewable energy careers. PSO features this initiative in case studies.
• MCB Business PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCB Business Partners developed Net Z(ed) pilot program in partnership with NSW Department of Education and Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy to bring Net Zero education to secondary school classrooms.
• Australian Government (Department of Employment and Workplace Relations)coreOthersPSO is a Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Australian Government and managed by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
• Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs)coreOthersPSO forms Technical Advisory Groups with industry and RTO participation to provide technical leadership on current and future training products across the four training packages.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Jobs and Skills Australia: Jobs and Skills Australia is a national agency responsible for skills research, workforce forecasting, and policy advice. It is comparable to PSO's workforce-planning and data functions, although it is not a sectoral training-package system steward.
• Energy Skills Queensland: Energy Skills Queensland is an energy-sector training and workforce-development organization. It overlaps with PSO's energy skills focus but is more directly involved in training delivery and industry support rather than national training-package stewardship.
• TAFE Queensland: TAFE Queensland is a major public VET provider that delivers nationally accredited training packages through the RTO network in which PSO operates. It is a downstream delivery and implementation peer rather than a system-stewardship competitor.

Direct peers

• Skills Insight: Skills Insight is an Australian Jobs and Skills Council covering agribusiness, fibre, floristry, hair, and beauty. It is comparable as a government-supported industry body that coordinates national VET products and qualification reform through stakeholder input.
• BuildSkills Australia: BuildSkills Australia is the Jobs and Skills Council for construction and property services. It operates a similar national training-package stewardship model, bringing employers and other stakeholders together to align VET products with workforce demand.
• HumanAbility: HumanAbility is the Australian Jobs and Skills Council for health, human services, early childhood, and education. It is comparable because it performs government-funded, industry-led training-system stewardship and stakeholder consultation for national vocational packages.
• Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance: Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance is the Jobs and Skills Council for manufacturing. It is comparable through its government-backed mandate to oversee VET packages, engage industry, and reform qualifications around current and future workforce needs.
• Mining Skills Australia: Mining Skills Australia is an Australian Jobs and Skills Council focused on mining. Its sectoral training-package development, workforce planning, and employer engagement closely parallel PSO's responsibilities in energy, gas, and renewables.
• Future Skills Organisation: Future Skills Organisation is the Jobs and Skills Council for digital, technology, and finance. It shares PSO's national JSC model, tripartite industry engagement, workforce planning, and responsibility for developing and reforming training packages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/powering-skills-organisation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Powering Skills Organisation