DOE and DOL partner to release training guidelines for the battery workforce
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to release guidelines for registered apprenticeships for battery machine operators. The Battery Workforce Initiative (BWI)’s National Guideline Standards was created with the aid of battery manufacturers, community colleges, and unions, and it outlines training requirements to support the skilled workforce needed for electric vehicle (EV) production. Curricula is currently under development, including BWI’s Pilot Training Project and the Battery Workforce Challenge (BWC) Program Regional Workforce Training (RWT) Hubs Project.
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In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “President Biden is leading a renaissance in American manufacturing, and nowhere is that more evident than with the rapid growth of investment in electric vehicle production. Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we have seen over 400 EV and battery manufacturing facilities announced in the U.S. in just three years, underscoring the need for a strong and supported skilled workforce. The Battery Workforce Initiative is part of our whole-of-government approach to revitalize industry and rebuild our economy from the bottom up and the middle out, providing American workers with good paying forward looking careers.”
U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su added, “Good jobs have the power to change lives, and today, we are expanding the pathways into those good jobs through Registered Apprenticeships in the fast-growing battery manufacturing industry. In just under a year, the Battery Workforce Initiative has built a strong partnership between government, industry, technology, and labor to make sure workers, including those who have historically been shut out of opportunities, can find their place in the middle class now and well into the future.”
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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