During the New Mobility Congress in Lodz, EIT InnoEnergy and the Polish Alternative Fuels Association signed an agreement to establish the EBA Academy Poland, which will aim to train future experts in the battery sector in Poland.

The European Battery Alliance (EBA) Academy is a program aimed at upgrading the skills of employees working in the energy storage industry and related industries. The launch of the program will help fill existing skills gaps. The program was initiated by EIT InnoEnergy as part of the European Battery Alliance, which brings together more than 700 partners across the value chain – from raw material extraction to recycling. Currently, the EBA Academy is already operating in several European Union countries, such as France, Spain and Germany. In addition, a cooperation agreement was signed last year with the Hungarian government, and this year, with the Romanian government.

Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič also mentioned the crucial need to raise the competencies of Polish employees for the development of the battery sector through the EBA Academy in his opening speech on the second day of the congress.

“Poland currently ranks 1st in Europe and 5th in the world in terms of lithium-ion cell production. We are surpassed only by China, South Korea, the US and Japan. Numerous related components are or will also be manufactured in our country, including electrolyte, copper foil, separators, cathodes, and whole traction batteries for electric vehicles, among others. The factories previously in operation are attracting further investment. However, other countries are also developing their potential, so if Poland wants to maintain its leading position in this – key area for new mobility – it must have qualified personnel. PSPA became involved in the EBA Academy Poland project to meet the expectations of potential investors. We believe that this is an initiative that will contribute to strengthening the domestic value chain of the battery sector,” says Maciej Mazur, Managing Director of the Polish Alternative Fuels Association.

The development of the energy storage sector in Poland will mean an increasing demand for skilled workers in the areas of battery design, manufacturing, development, or testing. The EBA Academy combines the substantive knowledge and practical experience of researchers, entrepreneurs, companies, thought leaders and key players from many countries in one comprehensive educational service offering. EIT InnoEnergy, as one of the world’s largest investors in sustainable energy innovation, was tasked by the European Commission to create the EBA Academy in cooperation with member countries. The prepared educational program aimed at upgrading and re-skilling the workforce meets the industry’s current and future challenges, and includes online learning modules, classroom training and laboratories.

“EBA Academy will play a key role in the rapid development of the European battery value chain and the electrification of the automotive sector. The risk of a lack of adequate and highly skilled workforce could result in millions of euros in losses due to delays in starting production,” said Diego Pavia, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy.

“Europe is on track to become the world’s second-largest battery producer by 2025, producing enough batteries to meet the needs of our automotive sector. However, without the right skills, this will be difficult to achieve. By 2025, EBA Academy is expected to help train some 800,000 people needed in the industry,” said Marcin Wasilewski, Managing Director of EIT InnoEnergy Central Europe.