REMADE receives funding to develop bilingual electronics recycling workforce training

The Reducing Embodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions (REMADE) Institute, a West Henrietta, New York-based public-private partnership established by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has been awarded $380,000 to develop circular economy workforce training for the electronics recycling and remanufacturing industries.

REMADE will lead the workforce project and will be partnering with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the Washington-based Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) and the Rochester, New York-based Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC).

The project aims to develop bilingual, English and Spanish, online workforce training for roles that do not require a four-year degree in the e-scrap recycling and remanufacturing industries. REMADE says both industries have a need for employees who can fill these roles, including shop-floor employees and testing and diagnostic technicians. The specific training developed by the project would teach entry-level material as well as provide progressive training to allow employees to move up the ladder into technician positions.

“ReMA is excited to partner on the creation of bilingual electronics recycling workforce training resources that will support the ongoing success of electronic recycling businesses throughout the U.S.,” ReMA President Robin Wiener says. “With the generation of end-of-life electronics projected to grow to 74 million tons by 2030, it is important that we proactively work to build the talent pool who will be necessary to reintroduce those materials back into the manufacturing supply chain.”

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The funding for this project is provided by the DOE’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) and is one of five awards recently announced intended to accelerate the development, deployment and scale-up of education and workforce programs to support the manufacturing industry.

“Upskilling the nation’s workforce is critical for ensuring the nation’s successful transition to a circular economy,” REMADE CEO Nabil Nasr says. “Improved training in these industries will reduce the onboarding costs for entry-level employees and facilitate upskilling. It will also address significant barriers for these businesses as they seek to accelerate circularity in the consumer electronics industry.”

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