New education centre to boost skills supply to fast-growing battery industry
On Friday, 24 January 2025, Battery Centre Gothenburg was inaugurated at Lindholmen – a state-of-the-art training centre for the industry with a focus on battery manufacturing. The centre is a crucial part of the transition towards electromobility and strengthens Gothenburg's position as a leader in skills provision and innovation for the green transition.
The mobility industry is in the midst of a major transition to electrification and digitalisation with new products and fully automated production methods. In this transition the industry needs people with new skills. The needs place demands on the education system to plan and scale education at the upper secondary level, adult education, and vocational higher education, as well as retraining for existing staff in the industry.
Battery Centre Gothenburg is one of the largest initiatives being undertaken in Gothenburg to meet these needs. The centre, together with existing learning environments, will offer a comprehensive solution for skills provision with a focus on education linked to new production methods in the battery and automotive industries. The centre provides the opportunity to make progress in robotics, well-structured safety work, and simulated process training. A completely new infrastructure for education in industrial technology and the green transition has been created.
"Battery Centre Gothenburg will help ensure that we have the right skills for the major transition that is taking place. These skills are central to ensuring that Gothenburg and West Sweden remain leaders in battery and automotive expertise in the future," says Anna-Lena Johansson, responsible for skills provision in the battery and automotive industries at Business Region Gothenburg.
Battery Centre Gothenburg is a publicly run initiative that actively involves industrial partners. One of its unique features is that it invites local companies to join the initiative and make use of the centre for their own training and development.
"I believe that an initiative of this kind holds tremendous value for Gothenburg. In the short term, it benefits Gothenburg as an industrial city, ensuring that Gothenburg remains at the forefront of Nordic industry by strengthening competence. In the long term, it will also benefit the many educational programmes that will take advantage of the centre's offerings," says Daniel Nåfors, Operations Manager for Battery Centre Gothenburg.
"The opportunity to train in an experience-based learning environment is unique and valuable for both adult learners aiming to enter the job market and those looking to expand their knowledge to meet new demands in their current workplace. The centre will play an important role in engaging young people, thereby encouraging more to pursue studies in industrial technology and strengthening the long-term skills base.”
The need for highly educated workers in this area is significant. The Volvo Group, Volvo Cars, and NOVO Energy alone maintain their assessment that approximately 5,000–7,000 people will be directly involved in the development and production of battery cells in West Sweden, particularly in Gothenburg.
Production facilities require entirely new skills for the production, assembly, and handling of batteries, including Volvo Cars' own battery assembly plant in Torslanda.
The whole mobility cluster is affected by the transition
It is not just the passenger car segment that is affected by the transition to electrification and digitalisation. All types of transport are affected, although the development is happening in different ways and at different paces. In addition to Volvo Cars and Volvo Group, companies such as Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk & Co, Heart Aerospace, Stena Line, and Ecocide play a leading role in this transition.
Another key player in this ecosystem is SEEL (Swedish Electric Transport Laboratory), a comprehensive test environment for electrified transport. The initiative, which is a collaboration between Chalmers and RISE, includes three facilities – in Gothenburg, Nykvarn, and Borås – where they develop knowledge together and accelerate the transition.
A unique facility
Battery Centre Gothenburg is unique in its kind in Europe, and many are interested in visiting the centre. In connection with EVS 38, a number of activities will take place at the centre. Among other things, vocational teachers from several countries will train their skills through the EU-funded project Voltage.
"We are pleased to have achieved something that we believe is unique in the world to support the green transition," says Björn Gustafsson, project manager for establishment and investment at Business Region Gothenburg.
"The Gothenburg region will be even better equipped as an important part of the development in mobility and batteries."
Facts & Contact
The investment in the training centre is a collaboration between the City of Gothenburg, Labour Market and Adult Education, Business Region Gothenburg, the Gothenburg Region Association of Local Authorities, and the Västra Götaland Region.
The City of Gothenburg has appointed Gothenburg Technical College (GTC) as the operator of the centre.
To learn more about the mobility and battery industry and possible opportunities in the Gothenburg Region contact Joel Görsch at Business Region Göteborg.
Joel Görsch, Investment Advisor Business Region Göteborg
+46 31 367 61 11
joel.gorsch@businessregion.se
To learn more about Battery Centre Gothenburg or book a visit, contact Daniel Nåfors.
Daniel Nåfors, Operations Manager Battery Centre Gothenburg
daniel.nafors@gtc.com
