Granholm unveils new training program for battery plant jobs at Lansing stop

Lansing — The U.S. Departments of Energy and Labor are piloting a certified workforce training program to prepare workers for high-tech battery plant jobs, agency and labor leaders announced Tuesday.

The apprenticeship-style training program, called the Battery Workforce Initiative, will help build a workforce for the auto industry's electric vehicle transition, U.S. Secretary of Energy and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said.

"You have to have demand, you've got to have supply, you have to take care of the holistic approach and one of the pieces of that is making sure we have this skilled workforce," Granholm said.

The energy secretary joined acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, U.S Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and local political and labor leaders at a UAW hall in Lansing on Tuesday to announce the new training program.

The Lansing event was Granholm's first Michigan stop on a tour through the Midwest where she is touting President Joe Biden's clean energy programs and his Investing in America agenda to boost domestic manufacturing with higher-paying jobs.

The Battery Workforce Initiative is powered by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Labor, workforce and economic development groups and others. They launched the program in Detroit in December 2022.

The groups aim to develop a nationally accepted training program that community colleges and other organizations can use to train students for key jobs in the advanced manufacturing industry, such as battery manufacturing.

"Workers today, especially the young people, they're joining our union, they want more from their jobs than just a paycheck," Fain said. "They want to grow in their jobs. They want a job that makes a difference, and they want to know they're working to solve the climate crisis, not make it worse."

The program will be work-based, allowing students to earn a wage while they learn, and will combine job training with classroom instruction similar to an apprenticeship program.

It will kick off as a pilot program this year at six sites across the country. Those sites have not been chosen, Granholm said. In April, the departments will ask for volunteers to participate as pilot sites. She predicted the training program will be ready to roll out across the country after one year as a pilot.

"All these battery factories are being built now, all across the country, so by the time they're all complete we will have the ability to use this training module to ensure we've got the best quality workers," Granholm said.

The various battery manufacturers will help develop the workforce training program to ensure the curriculum fits their needs, Whitmer said.

"As we build battery factories across America at record pace, this battery workforce initiative will ensure we're all on the same page, literally," Whitmer said.

The apprenticeship program will help connect women and particularly women of color to good-paying manufacturing jobs, a sector where they have historically not had the same access as men, Su said.

"We need to do something to solve the problem of occupational segregation and certain communities being left out of good jobs," she said. "Registered apprenticeships ... is one key way to do that. It's one key way that we open the doors to the American dream to all communities."

Electric vehicle and battery plants are under development across Michigan, including projects in Holland, Van Buren Township, Flat Rock, Orion Township and Lansing.

Development has not been entirely smooth. Ford Motor Co. last year temporarily paused and then scaled back its plans for a battery plant in Marshall. EV battery parts company Gotion is sparring with Green Township officials over their decision to rescind authorizations for the plant.

U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, issued a press release Tuesday criticizing the Biden administration's rules that will promote electric vehicles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced emissions standards last week that softened original fuel economy proposals but still will require automakers to sell more fuel-efficient vehicles and EVs in the coming years.

The rules "will force more than half of all cars being sold in 2032 to be electric, which will limit consumer choices and raise prices for vehicles," Moolenaar said.

The growth in EV sales has slowed and the supply chain for minerals required to make EV batteries remains difficult, posing challenges for automakers.

While less popular than internal combustion automobiles last year, EV sales trends remain promising, Granholm said.

"The demand is still high," she said. "There was 1.4 million electric vehicles sold last year. That's 50% more than the year before. The projection is that will be about 1.8 million electric vehicles sold this year. So we're seeing a huge increase...

"The electric vehicle revolution is happening. The question is — can we take care of all of the pieces to make it successful? — and that's why the president has a holistic strategy."

ckthompson@detroitnews.com