NSF Energy Storage Engine launches workforce training initiative

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<p>The <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation (NSF)&#8217;s</a> <a href="https://upstatenyengine.org/">Energy Storage Engine</a>, headquartered in Binghamton, New York, has launched a new workforce program, aiming to prepare the next generation for career in the energy storage sector.</p>

<p>The newly minted Energy Storage Engine Scholars Initiative is designed to train at least 400 new energy storage workers every year through a variety of channels. Participating partners of the program include <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/index.php">Binghamton University</a>, <a href="https://www.syracuse.edu/">Syracuse University</a>, the <a href="https://www.buffalo.edu/">University at Buffalo</a>, and the <a href="https://www.rit.edu/">Rochester Institute of Technology</a>.</p>

<p>These schools will lead four regional cohorts of the program spanning the NSF Engine&#8217;s wider service region, the company says. According to Tim Thomas, chief workforce development officer for the Energy Storage Engine, the end goal is to create a talent pipeline stretching from grades K-12 to university level.</p>

<p>&#8220;This Initiative was built through two years of listening to industry partners, students, and the institutions that will deliver it,&#8221; he says. &#8220;What emerged is a connected pathway that allows a student who first encounters energy storage in a high school workshop to follow a clear, supported route through university training and into a paid placement at a leading energy storage company or defense laboratory.&#8221;</p>

<p>The four schools are the latest in a growing number of universities, community colleges, and industry partners to join the NSF&#8217;s efforts, Thomas says. The foundation has a goal to turn upstate New York into &#8220;America&#8217;s Battery Tech Capital,&#8221; the organization adds.</p>

<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-realizing-the-vision">Realizing the vision</h3>

<p>Once enrolled in the program, participating students will be able to see and complete technical modules aligned with the NSF Engine&#8217;s focus areas. These include product and worker safety, as well as advanced manufacturing, and power engineering for <a href="https://solarbuildermag.com/featured/data-center-download-how-hyperscalers-are-shaping-the-solar-storage-market/">AI data centers and hyperscalers</a>.</p>

<p>Additionally, students will have the chance to work on capstone projects, innovation challenges, and receive paid internships with the NSF&#8217;s industry partners. </p>

<p>&#8220;Central New York is emerging as a national leader in battery innovation, and developing a strong workforce is essential to maintaining that momentum,&#8221; says Quinn Qiao, professor and department chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University.&nbsp;&#8220;This award equips students at every stage of their educational journey to explore energy storage, gain hands-on experience, and pursue meaningful careers in this rapidly growing field.&#8221;</p>

<p>Community colleges within the four regional educational coalitions will &#8220;provide defined transfer pathways&#8221; for participants, the organization says. Elementary and high school students will gain early exposure to the field as well, through a variety of STEM field workshops and dual-credit earning opportunities. </p>

<p>Dr. Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, says the initiative is a &#8220;strategic investment&#8221; in the region and its talent, as storage <a href="https://solarbuildermag.com/energy-storage/home-storage-ai-vpps-obbba-and-other-acronyms-shaping-the-ess-market/">continues to become a larger focal point</a> of the wider energy sector.</p>

<p>&#8220;Energy storage is a national priority,&#8221; she says, &#8220;and the workforce we develop today will help determine whether the United States remains a global leader in this critical industry for decades to come.&#8221;</p>

<p>The NSF Energy Storage Engine Scholars Initiative will begin later this year. Information regarding the program, its curriculum, and student eligibility will be available on the organization&#8217;s website beginning in September, the foundation says.</p>
<p>-- Solar Builder magazine</p>