U.S. Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm hosted a roundtable with executive leadership from federal and local government, industry, and labor to officially launch the Battery Workforce Initiative on December 12, 2022.
“American leadership in the global battery supply chain will be based not only on our innovative edge, but also on our skilled workforce of engineers, designers, scientists, and production workers.”
The purpose of this industry-driven, government-facilitated initiative is to speed up the development of high-quality training, starting with existing examples to develop consensus on core training needs, and then develop training for use by companies and local training providers. The initiative will:
Convene battery industry organizations to cooperate in the development of training by sharing non-proprietary requirements for high-demand occupations.
Engage training experts from manufacturers, labor, education, government, and other organizations to participate in facilitated workshops that quickly distill common skills and abilities needed in each industry segment and accelerate decision making.
Translate those needs into educational and on-the-job training requirements, forming the basis for training materials and guides.
The initiative includes employer-based testing and validation programs that will test the effectiveness of draft training for high-priority job positions/responsibilities identified by the initiative.
The initiative will result in draft training for each job position/responsibility tested and improved upon during the employer-based testing and validation programs. The draft training will be used to develop a DOL-approved credential and shared with community colleges and other training providers.
Driving Battery Manufacturing Forward
The United States is expected to double its manufacturing capacity by 2025, with more than 10 new battery manufacturing plants expected to be operational in the next five years.
As of 2020, U.S. capacity of global electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion cell manufacturing was approximately 59 GWh. That number is expected to grow to 224 GWh by 2025.
To keep up with this demand and retain a competitive manufacturing base, the United States needs a robust supply chain and skilled workforce to produce state-of-the-art, reliable EV and grid storage batteries at scale.
During the roundtable on December 12, 2022, participants discussed ways to build sustainable, trusted, and stronger relationships among industry stakeholders and how they can work together to develop the skilled workforce necessary to support the rapidly growing industry.
The initiative's Project Implementation Team traveled to Arizona in February 2023 to attend the annual NAATBatt conference. The team shared updates with the workforce committee and networked with many individuals to discuss key industry skillsets and needs.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is establishing a team of experts and stakeholders from the advanced battery industry to rapidly develop training and materials for key occupations (as defined by industry) in a manner that complements ongoing workforce development efforts. DOE is coordinating the Battery Workforce Initiative (BWI) with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) Working for America Institute, Li-Bridge alliance members, and other organizations.
