New Apprenticeship Initiative for Battery and Advanced Manufacturing Sectors

Local Unions of the IBEW, the world’s largest union of workers in the electrical industry, announced the creation of the Clean Transportation and Advanced Manufacturing Electrical Training Trust. This new apprenticeship training initiative draws on IBEW’s 133 years of electrical experience to prepare today’s workforce for the industrial, manufacturing and technology jobs of the clean economy.

The announcement came from the California State Association of Electrical Workers (CSAEW), representing more than 83,000 union electrical workers.

IBEW has committed national resources to develop customized training for individual workplaces in collaboration with employers. Apprenticeship and skilled training opportunities will include Medium/Heavy Duty Clean Vehicle Mechanics, Industrial Manufacturing Technicians and other battery and advanced manufacturing careers.

“The IBEW is on the cutting-edge of sustainable technologies, including batteries,” said IBEW Local 11 Business Manager Robert Corona. “We look forward to leveraging our decades of apprenticeship training in construction, the gold standard in the industry, to bring best practices to the battery and advanced manufacturing sector.”

IBEW has dedicated electrical training centers in more than 35 locations along the west coast of the United States, which give electrical workers classroom and lab training to go with the on-the-job skills they learn in a paid apprenticeship. In addition to advanced manufacturing, the new training trust creates the opportunity to use these facilities for new and emerging clean technology sectors like zero-emission vehicle maintenance.

“Like President Biden, when we think about climate action, we think about union jobs,” said IBEW 9th District International Vice President Dave Reaves. “The unprecedented federal investments from the Biden Administration are creating high demand for skilled workers in a variety of battery sectors from manufacturing components to recycling and repurposing to troubleshooting and repairing electric trucks and buses. The IBEW is ready to meet this moment and we are bringing national resources to this initiative spearheaded by Local Unions to make sure these sectors are creating middle-class, union career opportunities in the IBEW.”