NSF Energy Storage Engine launches workforce training initiative
The National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Energy Storage Engine, headquartered in Binghamton, New York, has launched a new workforce program, aiming to prepare the next generation for career in the energy storage sector.
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 Binghamton University, Syracuse University, the University at Buffalo, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
These schools will lead four regional cohorts of the program spanning the NSF Engine’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.
“This Initiative was built through two years of listening to industry partners, students, and the institutions that will deliver it,” he says. “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.”
The four schools are the latest in a growing number of universities, community colleges, and industry partners to join the NSF’s efforts, Thomas says. The foundation has a goal to turn upstate New York into “America’s Battery Tech Capital,” the organization adds.
Realizing the vision
Once enrolled in the program, participating students will be able to see and complete technical modules aligned with the NSF Engine’s focus areas. These include product and worker safety, as well as advanced manufacturing, and power engineering for AI data centers and hyperscalers.
Additionally, students will have the chance to work on capstone projects, innovation challenges, and receive paid internships with the NSF’s industry partners.
“Central New York is emerging as a national leader in battery innovation, and developing a strong workforce is essential to maintaining that momentum,” says Quinn Qiao, professor and department chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University. “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.”
Community colleges within the four regional educational coalitions will “provide defined transfer pathways” 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.
Dr. Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York, says the initiative is a “strategic investment” in the region and its talent, as storage continues to become a larger focal point of the wider energy sector.
“Energy storage is a national priority,” she says, “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.”
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’s website beginning in September, the foundation says.
