Stellantis and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have launched the Battery Workforce Challenge program to train engineers of tomorrow and build a highly skilled domestic electric vehicle (EV)/battery workforce. This comprehensive program includes a three-year engineering competition for colleges, vocational training, STEM education for youth, and career and technical education. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory for DOE and co-sponsored by Stellantis, the Battery Workforce Challenge competition will invite universities and vocational schools across North America to design, build, test, and integrate advanced EV batteries into future Stellantis vehicles. The competition will help build the next generation of engineers, technicians, and workers to meet the unprecedented demand for a domestic EV/battery workforce. In addition, the competition includes a national Career-Connected Learning Management System to provide flexible, accessible, and equitable training for learners across the education pipeline.
The U.S. Department of Energy and Stellantis introduce the Battery Workforce Challenge
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Stellantis have collaborated to launch the Battery Workforce Challenge program, which aims to promote a diverse talent pipeline that can help advance the battery industry in North America. This comprehensive program includes a three-year engineering competition for colleges, vocational training, STEM education for youth, and career and technical education.
The DOE’s ambitious goal to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide by 2050 for the benefit of all Americans, has set the tone for the Battery Workforce Challenge program. This target goal emphasizes the importance of designing and developing advanced batteries to electrify the transportation and energy sectors and developing a highly skilled workforce with hands-on experience and knowledge for in-demand positions throughout the EV/battery industry.
The Battery Workforce Challenge, co-sponsored by Stellantis and managed by Argonne National Laboratory for DOE, is a government and industry partnership that will help build the next generation of engineers, technicians, and workers to meet the unprecedented demand for a domestic EV/battery workforce.
The program aims to deliver training and education for high school graduates, vocational, and transitional workers to foster a diverse talent pipeline of trained engineers, workers, and technicians. According to Michael Berube, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels at the U.S. Department of Energy, “American leadership in the global battery supply chain will be based not only on our innovation, but also on our skilled workforce of engineers, designers, scientists, production workers, and technicians.”
The Battery Workforce Challenge program will begin in the fall of 2023 with an advanced battery design and development student competition series that invites universities and vocational schools across North America to design, build, test, and integrate an advanced EV battery into a future Stellantis vehicle.
Stellantis and DOE’s Battery Workforce Challenge to Train the Engineers of Tomorrow
Stellantis, a multinational automotive manufacturer, has announced its Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan to decarbonize the industry and reach carbon net zero emissions by 2038. As part of this plan, the company has partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to launch the Battery Workforce Challenge. Mark Stewart, Stellantis North America Chief Operating Officer, stated that the program would help train the engineers of tomorrow and would be a win-win for both Stellantis and the entire battery industry.
The Battery Workforce Challenge is a collegiate engineering competition that will invite universities and vocational schools to design, build, test, and integrate advanced EV batteries into future Stellantis vehicles. Teams will follow real-world industry milestones focused on battery design, simulation, controls development, testing, and vehicle integration and demonstration. Additionally, participants will learn project management, communications, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that will prepare them for future careers throughout the battery industry.
The competition is managed by the Argonne National Laboratory for DOE and co-sponsored by Stellantis, providing a government and industry partnership to help build the next generation of engineers, technicians, and workers to meet the unprecedented demand for a domestic EV/battery workforce.
The Battery Workforce Challenge also includes additional workforce and education initiatives, including a national Career-Connected Learning Management System that provides flexible, accessible, and equitable training for learners across the education pipeline. This system will connect participants to top jobs from the nation’s leading automotive and battery employers.
According to Paul Kearns, Director at Argonne National Laboratory, the Battery Workforce Challenge is a great opportunity for college and vocational students to experience high-impact collaborations. The competition supports both advanced battery innovations and the development of the next generation of battery researchers and professionals.
To learn more about the Battery Workforce Challenge, visit BattChallenge.org. The Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology and conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. With employees from over 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
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