DOE Launches Battery Workforce Challenge to Boost Clean Energy JobsDOE Launches Battery Workforce Challenge to Boost Clean Energy Jobs

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new initiative aimed at strengthening America's battery and electric vehicle (EV) workforce. The Battery Workforce Challenge Program, managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), seeks to create a highly skilled domestic workforce to support the growing demand for technicians, electricians, engineers, and skilled workers in battery manufacturing and EV production.

It's important to clarify that the Battery Workforce Challenge Program is distinct from the DOE-sponsored Battery Workforce Challenge collegiate competition. While both are initiatives by the US Department of Energy, the latter, co-sponsored by Stellantis, is a three-year collegiate engineering competition designed to provide hands-on learning and vocational training for students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The competition is part of a broader effort to build a skilled workforce capable of supporting the DOE's ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, focusing on developing advanced batteries and electrifying transportation and energy sectors.

Regional workforce training hubs

The program will establish regional workforce training hubs nationwide, helping close critical skill gaps and reskill vocational and transitional workers for in-demand jobs. This initiative represents a coordinated effort to prepare the US workforce for the booming clean energy and EV sectors. "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," stated 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."

Related:Battery Workforce Challenge Declares First-Year Champion Teams

This announcement comes on after the DOE's 2024 US Energy and Employment Report, which highlighted clean energy’s growing role in job creation. In 2023, the clean energy sector added 142,000 new jobs, growing by 4.2%—more than double the rate of the overall U.S. workforce. These jobs accounted for 56% of new energy sector jobs, further demonstrating clean energy’s contribution to the U.S. economy. The need for skilled workers to support this growth has become increasingly urgent as President Biden's Investing in America agenda continues to drive advancements in battery technology and EV development.

Related:Why Stellantis Supports the Battery Workforce Challenge

In 2023, clean energy was the driving factor for growth in the energy sector – jobs in clean energy grew by 4.2%, more than twice as much as the already robust job growth rate of 2.0% in the overall economy. Courtesy of DOE.

The program’s first workforce hub, the Michigan Battery Workforce Pilot, will build on the existing success of the Michigan EV Workforce Hub—launched by President Biden in April 2024—to solidify Michigan’s role as a leader in developing STEM talent. This pilot, in collaboration with key partners like the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and educational institutions like University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) and Henry Ford College, will offer a variety of educational and training opportunities for high school, vocational school, and college students.

DOE and ANL, alongside public and private sponsors including Stellantis, Samsung SDI America, American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), and AVL North America, are investing $23.6M in financial and in-kind support to train over 14,000 workers. Joe Pittel, General Counsel and Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs for Samsung SDI America, emphasized the importance of workforce development in the energy transition: "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."

The Michigan Battery Workforce Pilot will receive $200,000 in funding from the DOE to establish a state-of-the-art Battery/EV Technical Center at Henry Ford College. Meanwhile, MEDC will provide $200,000 to the University of Michigan-Dearborn to create an undergraduate-level battery-focused curriculum. Additionally, DOE and ANL will work with Binghamton University's New Energy New York (NENY) initiative to develop industry-aligned educational content (BattTech) for workforce hubs nationwide.

The program will also pilot a battery manufacturing career pathway in Michigan high schools through the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) program, further enhancing education and training for the next generation of battery professionals.