Industry Voices | EV Training Programs Around the World: Markers for Success

Workforce development continues to be among the most significant and pressing challenges impacting the global transition to electric vehicles.

In a previous article for Wards, I outlined research highlighting three key enablers needed to accelerate an effective transformation to electric mobility (e-mobility) around the world: workforce development, policy framework and infrastructure. While all three of these areas need to be considered for success, comprehensive and efficient workforce development continues to present challenges for global stakeholders ranging from OEMs and suppliers to government and academia.

Preparing a talent pipeline to design, produce, assemble, test and maintain EVs is a key enabler of the e-mobility transition. To better understand the latest trends and key characteristics of EV education, the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI) compiled a report of 20 different EV training programs from eight organizations across multiple geographies, including the U.S., Costa Rica, Ghana, South Africa, Chile and Kenya.

Through this research, we identified commonalities that organizations with an active stake in developing the talent pipeline throughout the EV value chain can leverage to better align their training efforts with rapidly evolving industry needs.

Common Characteristics of EV Education

Many of the training programs began with an “inch-deep-mile-wide” approach, where courses touch on important topics like EV safety, batteries and key components to equip attendees with foundational knowledge about EV technology. This type of information is very much in demand and helpful in raising awareness across a wide range of stakeholders – particularly in some low- and middle-income countries where the EV transition is still in its early stages.

In such markets, non-technical programs about e-mobility are also popular and tend to cater to a broad audience, including government representatives interested in learning about the implications of this industry shift, private sector, NGO representatives and educational institutions.

Safety-oriented training is a critical part of introductory education due to the risks presented by high-voltage systems found in EVs and their batteries. We found safety-oriented training in programs at the University of Michigan, the Emasa Mobility Hub in Chile, the Uyilo Mobility Program in South Africa and the Advanced Mobility Center in Kenya.

For an institution like Chile’s Emasa Mobility Hub, safety-oriented training continued in more advanced coursework, but was emphasized through the lens of specialized e-mobility training modules, such as maintenance and diagnostics for EVs, low- and high-voltage diagnostics for EVs, charging station installation and more. Also of note, Emasa, as well as some of the other institutions featured in our research, has developed e-mobility training specifically designed to increase women’s participation in this sector, helping create a more diverse workforce and tap into ready talent to support this transformation.

With the battery being the most crucial component of an EV, and typically the most expensive, battery-related topics such as handling and diagnostics are core to the programs we examined. Comprehensive, hands-on training in a properly equipped EV lab is necessary to deliver this content – as a local example, Macomb Community College in Michigan leverages their EV lab in their training offerings for industry and the general public.

While successfully establishing a talent pipeline takes time and consideration, organizations can jumpstart their efforts by developing pilot training programs at a small scale – and by partnering with industry and other local organizations. In Kenya, for example, the Advanced Mobility Center partners with e-mobility companies to use their vehicles and facilities for the hands-on component of their training.

Many of the organizations featured in our report integrated a competency-based structure into their programs to ensure participants with different skill levels at the beginning of each course will have their specific training needs met. Additionally, some of the institutions are leveraging digital tools such as virtual reality and augmented reality to complement training programs when equipment is limited.

Overcoming Challenges

All these organizations contended with steep hurdles in building their programs. One of the most significant challenges included securing the initial investment to create a curriculum and purchase training equipment. Collaboration with industry partners and other stakeholders helped training institutions work through this challenge by securing funding, in-kind equipment and expertise.

Another challenge was understanding the rapidly evolving needs of the local industry and emerging trends to develop a responsive curriculum that can ensure graduates will have the skills needed to support the transition. In-depth research and consultations with industry representatives and networks helped many of the featured institutions overcome this hurdle.

Scale-up strategies are also important to consider as programs become more established and organizations start to think beyond their local market. For example, in Costa Rica, Instituto CEA developed a partnership with the Hudson Valley Community College in Albany, NY, to offer international custom trainings and certifications focused on EV diagnostics and maintenance at Hudson, in both English and Spanish.

These partnerships are not only advantageous for organizations in the present, but for the future of the energy and mobility sectors as well. Considering the rapid pace of innovation at the intersection of these two industries, mutually beneficial partnerships can help academic institutions stay at the forefront of new developments. These institutions are already looking for opportunities to upskill and train the workforce on other topics like energy storage, smart microgrids and hydrogen.

Successfully establishing a talent pipeline takes time and diligence. Any organization, institution or government entity considering making investments into EV workforce development can benefit from learning about programs already available and early lessons, which can inspire or help strengthen training efforts in their region.

Providing thoughtfully designed programs for the workforce to have their skills updated will help build the ecosystem needed for the EV transition to succeed – and it is an area ripe for opportunity and collaboration today.