InnoEnergy Skills Institute, one of Europe’s leading training institutes for employees in the sustainable energy sector, said more than 50,000 learners have undertaken courses in collaboration with the European Battery Alliance (EBA) since February 2022.
Training course themes range from battery fundamentals to battery management systems, battery testing, safety and security.
Oana Penu, InnoEnergy Skills Institute director, said: “EIT InnoEnergy firmly believes that enabling ecosystems is key to addressing skills gaps at scale. At a critical moment for European industry, we aim to empower the workforce to be active participants in the net zero transition and ensure nobody is left behind.”
The range of occupations encompasses skills required to mine materials, design, manufacture, integrate within applications, decommission and recycle batteries.
Markets within the value chain are showing significant growth potential, with annual demand for lithium-ion batteries projected to reach 4,700GWh by 2030 globally – an increase of more than six times the global usage figure of around 700GWh in 2022. Stationary storage installations worldwide are also predicted to reach over 400GW by the end of 2030. That is 15 times the battery storage capacity online at the end of 2021.
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission executive vice-president, said: “We want our European industry to be leaders in the green transition. The European Battery Alliance skills programme serves as a successful blueprint for other sectors.”
InnoEnergy, established in 2010, has a portfolio of more than 200 companies. They are estimated to generate €110 billion ($120 billion) in revenue and save 2.1G tons of CO2e accumulatively by 2030. Collectively, these companies have raised more than €9.7 billion ($10.6 billion) in investment to date.
InnoEnergy is the driving force behind three strategic European initiatives which include the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC) and the European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (ESIA).
In the UK, a new apprenticeship standard for technicians working in UK battery manufacturing has been unveiled. The three-year Battery Manufacturing Technician standard has been developed by employers, industry experts and further and higher education providers. It will be facilitated by the not-for-profit enterprise Cogent Skills.
Industry body the Faraday Institution estimates the battery sector could grow by 100,000 jobs from 170,000 by 2040.
Photo: InnoEnergy Skills Institute announced the completion of specialised training for over 50,000
