France launches a training academy for the battery industry

France and EIT InnoEnergy, an independent body created by the EU, have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the so-called EBA250 Academy to retrain and develop tens of thousands of workers for the French battery industry.

Concretely, the partnership aims to bring around 150,000 people to the academy by 2025. The context is that France plans to open three gigausines by 2023 and therefore has a growing need for engineers and specialized technicians. . To fill this gap, a platform for sharing educational opportunities must be created under the leadership of EIT InnoEnergy, which coordinates industrial work within the European Battery Alliance (EBA). This should “significantly reduce” the cost of retraining and upgrading.

In addition to France, EIT InnoEnergy is already introducing the EBA250 Academy in Spain and plans to roll out the program across Europe during 2021. The initiators assume that around 800,000 skilled workers will be needed in the battery industry. in Europe by 2025. According to the partners, the academy’s courses have been developed by experts working in the battery sector and cover topics ranging from electromobility, home storage and network storage to recycling and to data science. Modules are offered online by local training organizations, although some require a physical presence at local training centers, they say. In addition, any engineer or manager working in the energy sector can apply.

EIT InnoEnergy describes itself as an innovation community supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. The entity is organized as a public-private partnership and often acts as an investor in the climate and renewable energy sectors. According to its own information, it has invested in around 500 industrial companies since its founding in 2010. EIT InnoEnergy is also involved in several European initiatives, including the aforementioned European Battery Alliance (EBA), the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC) and the European Solar Initiative (ESI).

Diego Pavia, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy, points out that the EBA250 Academy will ensure that “we can deliver the annual battery value chain of 250 billion euros by 2025, as planned in 2017 when the vice president of the European Commission Å efčovič launched the European Battery Alliance and mandated EIT InnoEnergy to lead the industrial ecosystem ”. It is also a major example of how Europe can succeed in taking care of people’s skills and creating the new, value-added jobs required by the green transition, he said.

Commission Vice-President MaroÅ¡ Å efčovič, Head of the European Battery Alliance, commented: “2021 could be another defining year for the European Battery Alliance – also thanks to our resolute collective action to raise the growing skills challenge. The new battery industry requires a new set of skills. Re-qualification and upgrading programs, such as the EBA250 Academy, will therefore help match skills to labor market needs and strengthen the social dimension of European recovery. In this context, I am happy to see that Europe continues to be a global hotspot for battery investment. By 2025, we are ready to manufacture enough battery cells each year to power at least six million electric cars. “

With a report by Cora Werwitzke, France.

innoenergy.com