Overview of the Sparkz-CMGE Pilot Model

The Center’s pilot project is the development of a workforce training program for Sparkz, a lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) battery manufacturer in Rancho Cordova outside Sacramento as part of a labor peace agreement between Sparkz and UAW. The Sparkz program is the first of its kind in the battery industry. CMGE will build a robust and diverse recruitment pipeline from Sacramento’s underserved communities, foundational job skills training, wraparound services to support cohorts, and a skills-based apprenticeship for production workers, building on the foundations of the registered Industrial Manufacturing Technician model and the DOE Battery Workforce Initiative. This model is groundbreaking and can show the opportunities for shared prosperity as we build our green economy. It can be used to build empowering battery training models in communities across the country, with the potential to scale across other green manufacturing sectors.