Battery Ready: Electrification Academy Joins NextCycle Michigan to Build Open-Access Battery Safety Education
Electrification Academy has been selected for NextCycle Michigan to help build Battery Ready — free, open-access orientation modules for workers who handle, transport, and recycle lithium-ion batteries.
United States
Electrification Academy has been selected to take part in NextCycle Michigan — the state’s initiative for building a stronger circular economy — to help create Battery Ready, a set of free, open-access education modules for the people who handle lithium-ion batteries every day. The project is supported by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), led by grant awardee Empower to Comply, with Electrification Academy as the education platform and VMX International as battery recycling pilot partner.
What we’re building
Batteries power almost everything we rely on — and large-format batteries carry real risks that the people closest to them need to understand. There’s plenty of technical material out there, but almost none of it is built for someone walking in the door on their first day.
Battery Ready closes that gap: short, multimedia orientation modules that cover the core safety, handling, and awareness concepts every frontline worker should know. Free. Public. Built with the people who actually do this work.
These modules build awareness and context. They are not compliance training and do not certify anyone to perform regulated tasks — they’re an on-ramp that helps new workers gain confidence and prepare for what comes next.
Who it’s for
Battery Ready is for anyone entering Michigan’s battery circular economy — and the people who help others get there:
- New and frontline workers starting out in lithium-ion battery recovery, reuse, and recycling
- Haulers, recyclers, and OEM teams handling, transporting, and processing battery materials
- First responders who need clear, accessible awareness of lithium-ion battery hazards
- Workforce and community programs bringing new workers into the field
What we’re hearing on the ground
To make sure the content reflects real-world needs, we’re interviewing battery recycling technicians, dismantlers, facility managers, and first responders across Michigan. The same concerns keep surfacing — thermal events and re-ignition, handling damaged batteries, assessing the risk of crashed units, and safe storage and transport — and they’re shaping which modules we build first.
“Always assume the pack is fully charged — even if it’s labeled as discharged.” — Battery recycler, Michigan
Where this is headed
Battery Ready will launch on Electrification Academy, alongside the workflows, equipment, and articles you can explore today. If you handle batteries day to day — or you’re the lead getting a team ready — you can follow the project and help shape what we build on the Battery Ready page.
This program is supported by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy as part of the NextCycle Michigan initiative. Battery Ready provides educational awareness content and is not a substitute for hands-on training, certified instruction, or site-specific safety procedures.
Would you like to participate?
We’re shaping Battery Ready around the people who do this work. If you handle, transport, or process lithium-ion batteries — or you’re the lead getting a team ready — tell us what’s missing and help decide which modules we build first. Share your input in our short survey →