Brief overview
As Germany’s battery value chain expands with new factories and forecasted annual growth rates in the double digits, thousands of skilled workers with technical knowledge and expertise are necessary to avoid an industry slowdown. To ward off this possibility, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) tendered a €20 million project to invest in institutional knowledge. Known as the Itzehoe Battery Specialist Training Center, this project is set to become operational in 2026 and train 600 to 900 battery specialists annually, with digital learning environments offering possible scalability.
Challenge Addressed
With Northvolt’s planned battery cell gigafactory in Heide for 2026 and CustomCells’ expansion plans in Itzehoe, the German government estimates that more than 10,000 jobs will be created throughout the entire battery value chain in Germany alone in the coming years, with forecasted annual growth rates for battery demand reaching 30%. Consequently, thousands of skilled workers will be needed lest the battery industry’s growth and innovation slow. Alongside the reality that these projections could increase with the announcement of new projects and thereby worsen the Europe-wide shortage of skilled workers, it was deemed imperative to address this issue and BMWK tendered the project in 2021.
Solution & Implementation
The Itzehoe project (QuW-LIB) seeks to devise qualification profiles and train specialists in the European lithium-ion battery industry, with the training center in Itzehoe set to become operational in 2026. BMWK has invested €20 million in the project and the five-member consortium executing it includes the Franhofer Institute, battery manufacturers Northvolt Germany GmbH and the CustomCells Group, education and digitalization innovator Heinze Akademie, and network builder Renewable Energies Hamburg (EEHH), with VDI/VDE Innovation and Technik GmbH sponsoring the project. Its eight milestones include:
- Developing a concept of sustainability that translates theory to practice
- Analyzing the types of skilled workers needed by the battery industry
- Identifying the key competencies needed for future-oriented professionals
- Creating curricula and qualification profiles
- Developing special lithium battery cells for training purposes
- Constructing the “learning street” training center in Itzehoe
- Integrating virtual reality and other innovative media to support training
- Conducting testing to evaluate the results of training
Challenges Faced & Mitigation Strategies
Managing Director of Northvolt Germany, Christofer Haux, has highlighted how the European battery cell industry is new and therefore lacks fixed professional role models and training paths unlike other, more established industries. To address this challenge, the QuW-LIB project’s first milestones include identifying the types of skilled workers needed by the industry. Only after creating this foundation can the project transition to the “learning street” center in Itzehoe and train 600 to 900 individuals per year.
The physical size limitations of the “learning street” training center may restrict the number of participants that can be trained at any one time and therefore limit the number of specialists the project can train and qualify in a given year. To overcome this barrier, the project will incorporate Heinze Akademie’s digitalization expertise to employ virtual and augmented reality technology to increase the number of participants if required. This technology would enable training independent of location and time to meet the projected demand for skilled workers in the lithium-ion battery industry.
Results & Impact
While the training center in Itzehoe will not become operational until 2026, the QuW-LIB project will address the battery industry’s skilled worker shortage by providing scalable qualification training.
- Specialist Training Programs: Formulating training programs designed to address key competencies and qualification profiles integral to the battery industry’s success.
- Program Scalability: Employing virtual and augmented reality technology to train individuals beyond the training center’s physical capabilities.
- In-Person Training: Hosting a “learning street” training center in Itzehoe that will provide further training for 600 to 900 specialists per year from 2026 onward.
- Economic Benefits: Addressing the industry’s skilled worker shortage to prevent a slowdown, particularly in preparation for expansions and new factories in northern Germany.
Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection: Facilitating the anticipated registration of fifteen million electric vehicles in Germany by 2030; Furthering the development of the “green battery,” a sustainable technology designed to consume as few resources as possible while being recycled efficiently.
Key Takeaways & Lessons Learned:
- Scalability: Utilizing digital learning environments enables training unconstrained by time or location.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborating across the battery industry’s value chain enables the formulation of relevant and accurate tailored training programs.
- Public-Private Partnership: Targeted public funding facilitates private-sector growth and innovation that provides non-excludable benefits via sustainability and low-carbon technology.
References & Further Reading
Itzehoe Training Center:
BACCARA & PowerCo
Berlin Battery Lab