U.S. Department of Energy Kicks Off Nationwide Battery Workforce Challenge Program

DETROIT — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced its new Battery Workforce Challenge Program, a comprehensive workforce development program designed to build and train a diverse, domestic workforce and to promote job creation for battery and electric vehicle (EV) technicians, electricians, skilled workers, and engineers. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), the Battery Workforce Challenge Program will feature regional workforce training hubs nationwide that will step into critical skill gaps and identify areas to reskill and upskill vocational and transitional workers for in-demand EV and battery manufacturing jobs. 

“The Battery Workforce Challenge Program creates an ecosystem of universities, community colleges, and vocational and secondary schools as well as government, industry, labor, and non-profit partners,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. “This coalition has the exact reach and experience to educate and train next-generation technicians, electricians, and others skilled in STEM for fulfilling careers across the battery and electric vehicle value chain.”

DOE recently released its 2024 U.S. Energy and Employment Report, which showed clean energy jobs grew by 4.2% in 2023, adding 142,000 new jobs—more than double the growth rate of the overall U.S. workforce. These jobs accounted for 56% of new energy sector jobs, demonstrating clean energy’s role in driving economic growth. This expansion, fueled by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, underscores the urgent need for a trained workforce to support battery technology and EV development.

The first hub, Michigan Battery Workforce Pilot, will map out various workforce pathways within the battery industry and continue to bolster Michigan as a leader in developing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent. The pilot includes key partnerships with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD), and Henry Ford College, and will focus on creating training and educational activities for high school, vocational school, and higher education.

This program will build upon the great work already underway at the Michigan EV Workforce Hub. Launched by President Biden in April 2024, the Hub is preparing Michiganders for high-quality jobs and careers thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in economic and job growth, specifically in the EV and battery sector.

DOE is partnering with more than a dozen public and private sponsors to fund $23.6 million in financial and in-kind support to train more than 14,000 workers, including co-headline sponsor Stellantis, as well as Samsung SDI America, Inc.; American Battery Technology Company (ABTC); AVL North America; Vector, Inc.; and Battery Innovation Center (BIC) among others. The investment will furnish equipment and provide technical support, mentorships, internships, and job placements in the STEM sphere. 

“We are pleased to be partnering with our customer, the Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory and local universities in this program,” said Joe Pittel, general counsel and vice president of legal and public affairs for Samsung SDI America. “We understand that for the electrification revolution to see its full potential, we must invest in more than just plants and machines—we have to invest in the workforce of the future.” 

As part of the Michigan Pilot, DOE will provide $200,000 in corpus funding to establish a state-of-the-art Battery/EV Technical Center at Henry Ford College to develop a skilled workforce that meets Michigan’s rapidly growing demand for battery technology employees. Key stakeholders will include MEDC, battery and automotive original equipment manufacturers, and other industry partners, to strengthen workforce development, innovation, and economic growth in the region.

MEDC will also award $200,000 to the University of Michigan-Dearborn to establish a state-of-the-art, undergraduate-level, battery-focused curriculum focused on battery design, assembly, testing and modeling. UMD will also launch a summer boot camp to introduce new undergraduate students to EV battery technology and build a future pipeline for the Battery Workforce Challenge Program. The grant is funded through MEDC’s Higher Education Strategic Investment (HESI) Program, which has invested more than $18 million to educational programs in the state of Michigan. The curriculum builds on the UMD’s participation in the Battery Workforce Challenge and is a complement to the MEDC’s Michigander Scholars program. Five Battery Workforce Challenge students are Michigander Scholars.

DOE and ANL also announced today a partnership with Binghamton University-led New Energy New York (NENY), supported through the U.S. Economic Administration’s NENY Battery Tech Hub, to advance the development of battery and EV training and educational content, “BattTech,” to be used in the Michigan pilot and the other Battery Workforce Hubs. BattTech will provide industry-aligned educational content and training in battery technology, EV development, safety, manufacturing, and recycling—ensuring participants are equipped with the skills required for roles across the battery and EV value chain

ANL’s Career Connected Learning Management System will deploy the BattTech program, educational content, and training, and ensure equitable and scalable access to training across the nation. These trainings will be critical to filling workforce gaps and will drive the clean energy transition while bolstering national security and competitiveness.

DOE and ANL are also partnering with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers SME PRIME® (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) program to pilot a battery manufacturing career pathway in high schools across Michigan. More than $250,000 in public and private funding will support the pilot and will expand the PRIME® program into other battery workforce hubs. 

The Battery Workforce Challenge Program also includes a three-year engineering competition for higher education institutions, called the Battery Workforce Challenge. Launched in 2023, the competition provides an immersive hands-on learning experience for university students and their vocational partners to gain critical battery design and integration experience and build engineering and technical skills well beyond traditional engineering curriculum. More than 24 universities, community colleges, and vocational schools across North America are participating, and more than 3,000 workers are being trained through the system in three years across the United States.