Colleges partnered with an EV battery factory to train students and ignite the economy. Trump’s clean energy war complicates their plans - Kavitha Cardoza, Hechinger Report

The students — recruited for the opportunity by Panasonic — were participants in an eight-week apprenticeship course that involves classes at the community college and on-the-job training. When they’re done, they will be among the first workers at the company’s new electric vehicle battery factory in nearby De Soto, Kansas. The $4 billion manufacturing plant — touted as the largest EV battery factory in the world — is expected to open in early summer and eventually employ roughly 4,000 people. Panasonic also paid for the students’ tuition, as well as the instructor’s salary. Apprenticeship programs like this one have been heralded as the future of workforce development. Born out of partnerships between industry and community colleges, these short-term programs offer credentials closely aligned with employer needs and are often referred to as the pathway to high-skill, high-demand, high-wage jobs.

https://hechingerreport.org/colleges-partnered-with-an-ev-battery-factory-to-train-students-and-ignite-the-economy-trumps-clean-energy-war-complicates-their-plans/