Business Forum • 5 December, 2024 at 11:17 AM
InnoEnergy Skills Institute, one of Europe's leading training skills providers for the sustainable energy workforce, announces the achievement of its objective to directly train 100,000 learners through its European Battery Alliance (EBA) Academy. Launched in 2022 as the first of Europe's Net-Zero Academy following a mandate from the European Commission, the Academy addresses the needs of a rapidly evolving industry and its workforce.
The Academy provides tailored training services to equip new talent entering the industry and enhance the technical expertise of experienced professionals, developed in collaboration with industry experts at the European Battery Alliance. Technical courses developed for engineers and technicians such as Battery Management Systems and Battery Technician were the most subscribed courses, with 27,000 learners completing the latter. Foundational courses such as the Battery Fundamentals and Battery Storage Basics were also in high demand, reflecting the growing interest from the workforce to gain the foundational skills needed to work in the sector. The Academy courses, taken online or through in-person trainings in 10 languages, have had pan-European impact with 27,500 learners trained in Germany, 21,000 in France, 11,000 in Spain and 8,000 in Poland and Romania respectively.
Oana Penu, Director of the InnoEnergy Skills Institute, said: “Equipping Europe's workforce with the right skills is a necessity for Europe's competitiveness in strategic sectors. Reaching the milestone of 100,000 trained learners is a testament to the power of targeted, industry-focused training initiatives. However, there is still a long way to go to equip the workforce with all the skills needed for the green transition. The European Battery Alliance Academy has set a new standard for collaboration between industry and academia.”
The Battery Academy is backed by 13 Member States and regions including Spain, France, Hungary, Gothenburg Region, Romania, Bulgaria, Flanders, Wallonia, Ireland, Slovakia, Poland and Catalonia, industry partnerships with ManpowerGroup and NIIT and a network of 4,000 local trainers. The Academy has established a blueprint for future Net-Zero Academies, laying the foundations for the European Solar Academy, which was launched in 2024.
Following the successful completion of training 100,000 learners, the Academy and its partners will expand its upskilling services to sourcing, hiring, onboarding and retention in a holistic approach to meet industry needs beyond reskilling.
EIT InnoEnergy operates at the centre of the energy transition and is the leading innovation engine in sustainable energy. It brings the technology, business model innovation and skills required to accelerate the green deal, progress towards Europe's decarbonisation and re-industrialisation goals, whilst also improving energy security.
Recognised as Europe's top Cleantech and Blue Economy venture capital firm and investor in 2023 by Startup Genome, one of Europe's top 10 most active deeptech investors by Sifted in 2023 and the most active investor in the energy sector in 2022 by Pitchbook, InnoEnergy backs innovations across a range of areas. These include energy storage, transport and mobility, renewables, energy efficiency, hard to abate industries, smart grids and sustainable buildings and cities.
InnoEnergy has a portfolio of more than 200 companies, which are estimated to generate €110 billion in revenue and save 2.1G tonnes of CO2e accumulatively by 2030. Collectively, these companies have raised more than €9.7 billion in investment to date.
InnoEnergy is the driving force behind three strategic European initiatives which include the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC) and the European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance (ESIA).
InnoEnergy was established in 2010 and is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Since its inception, InnoEnergy has screened more than 7,000 start-ups, launched more than 300 products to market and overseen its portfolio companies filing 370+ patents. Today, InnoEnergy has a trusted ecosystem of 1200+ partners and 35 shareholders and a 200+ strong team with offices across Europe and in Boston, US.