Battery manufacturing technicians are found in the process manufacturing sector, producing cells and batteries.
Cells and batteries store chemical energy and convert it to electrical energy. A cell is a single unit, whereas two or more cells is a battery. They are used in transport - micro-mobility such as scooters and bikes, cars, vans, lorries, buses, trains, planes, and ships. Domestic applications such as power walls. Power industry grid balancing facilities. Mobile phones and laptops and many more. Batteries play a key role in the environmental agenda, providing storage for renewable energy generation and power to electric vehicles.
This is a core and options apprenticeship. An apprentice must be trained and assessed on the core and one option relevant to their role. The options are:
Battery manufacturing technicians prepare for and conduct processes in one stage of cell or battery manufacture. Electrode technicians produce the component that goes in battery cells. They perform processes such as mixing, coating, drying, calendering, and electrode slitting. Cell assembly technicians make individual cells performing processes such as winding, stacking, filling, and sealing. Formation technicians perform formation, ageing and testing processes and final inspection of cells, ensuring cells are charged and working. Module and pack technicians combine individual cells to make battery modules and packs, and conduct end of line testing and cell finishing. In relation to the stage that they work in, technicians conduct quality assurance and maintain process records. Maintaining workplace health, safety and environment is also key. Technicians also support other activities including continuous improvement, inventory control, and maintenance.
In their daily work, they interact with other members of the manufacturing team. They also have contact with other teams for example, process engineers, maintenance engineers, supply chain staff, and warehouse staff.
They are responsible for complying with health, safety, environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance. This may include wearing specialist personal protective equipment for working in clean and dry facilities, and with high voltage and hazardous materials such as electrolyte. They must ensure that products meet quality specifications and manufacturing guidelines and are produced to schedule and cost. They may work as part of a small or large manufacturing team.
They typically report to a production manager.
Cell assembly technician
Electrode technician
Formation, ageing and testing technician
Module and pack technician
Employers may require candidates to have a health screening before working in a clean room.
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 1 Maintain workplace health, safety and environment following safety, environmental and risk management systems. |
|
|
Duty 2 Conduct handover responsibilities for example, receive information from or pass information to other shifts or departments. |
|
|
Duty 3 Complete process manufacturing records. For example, production records. |
|
|
Duty 4 Undertake quality control processes. |
|
|
Duty 5 Support inventory control. Ensure the required materials and consumables are available for production. Assist with the internal movement of materials. |
|
|
Duty 6 Support maintenance activities. For example, help engineering in set-up and calibration tasks, report faults, conduct routine preventative maintenance such as inspecting machinery. |
|
|
Duty 7 Support continuous improvement activities. For example, developing methods and procedures to control or modify the manufacturing process to increase product quality and competitiveness. Identifying ways to contribute to sustainability by reducing energy use and waste. Collecting data to use to analyse and improve the process. |
K1 K14 K15 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K26 K27 K28 |
|
Duty 8 Support internal and external audits. For example, supply information. |
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 9 Prepare for electrode manufacturing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 |
|
Duty 10 Perform electrode manufacturing processes for example: mixing, coating, drying, calendering, and electrode slitting. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K38 K39 K40 K41 K42 |
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 11 Prepare for cell assembly manufacturing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 |
|
Duty 12 Perform cell assembly processes for example: winding, stacking, filling, and sealing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K43 K44 K45 K46 K47 K48 |
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 13 Prepare for formation, ageing and testing manufacturing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 |
|
Duty 14 Perform formation, ageing and testing processes and final inspection. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K49 K50 K51 K52 K53 K54 |
| Duty | KSBs |
|---|---|
|
Duty 15 Prepare for module and pack manufacturing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K55 K56 K57 K58 K59 K60 K61 K62 |
|
Duty 16 Perform module and pack processes for example: final assembly, end of line testing, and cell finishing. |
K1 K2 K10 K11 K14 K19 K20 K21 K22 K24 K25 K26 K27 K28 K30 K31 K32 K33 K34 K36 K56 K57 K58 K59 K60 K61 K62 |
K1: Battery manufacturing industry awareness: manufacturing environments, types of employers, types of customers. Business: Industrial strategy, ethical sourcing, and battery supply chain practice.
Back to Duty
K2: Battery manufacturing technician’s role. Limits of responsibility. Escalation procedures.
Back to Duty
K3: Health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance. ATEX - safety requirements for workplaces and equipment used in explosive atmospheres. The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH). Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR). Electrical safety and compliance. Fire safety. Health and Safety at Work Act – responsibilities. Legionella. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER). Lone working. Management of health and safety at work. Noise regulation. Permits to work. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). REACH — Regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. Safety signage and purpose. spill response handling Slips trips and falls. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Working at Height. Working in confined spaces.
Back to Duty
K4: Health and safety practice - Lock out, tag out (LOTO). Manual handling. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements. Risk assessment and safe systems of work.
Back to Duty
K5: Incident and near miss reporting. Emergency procedures.
Back to Duty
K6: Battery health and safety. Battery manufacturing safety guidance. Battery failures and faults – causes and consequences. Battery manufacturing safety hazards – risks they pose and management. Responding to battery fires, chemical spillages, gas leakages, and incidents.
Back to Duty
K7: Environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, and guidance: Environmental Management Systems standard, Environmental Protection Act, Climate Change Act, Energy Act, Control of Pollution Act. Principles of control and management of emissions and waste. Environmental signage and notices.
Back to Duty
K8: Sustainability practice: energy efficiency, reuse of resources, recycling procedures.
Back to Duty
K9: The environmental benefits of batteries in the move towards net zero emissions. Sustainability and carbon footprint of different types of batteries and materials used in production: how that can be mitigated for by selection and whole of lifecycle considerations.
Back to Duty
K10: Production requirements: product specification, processing specification, rate of production. Material safety data sheet, product labelling and product codes; the importance of identifying non-conforming materials and products. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Stock control principles.
Back to Duty
K11: Process control systems and their constituent components.
Back to Duty
K12: Need and requirements for clean and dry rooms in battery manufacturing – protocols for entering, working in, exiting. Safe working within a clean and dry room: risks.
Back to Duty
K13: Quality assurance vs quality control; key differences. Quality standards. Consequences of not achieving quality standards. Line side and lab quality control. Purpose of audits.
Back to Duty
K14: Operational procedures and on-going quality assurance requirements.
Back to Duty
K15: Development and review of operational procedures.
Back to Duty
K16: Documentation requirements: documentation control, auditable records.
Back to Duty
K17: Representative sampling. Common methods of analysis. Principles of quality procedures in the laboratory.
Back to Duty
K18: Maintenance practices. Preventative maintenance requirements.
Back to Duty
K19: Numerical approximations and unit conversion tables. Areas, volumes, and flow rates calculations. Statistical data. Basic rules of algebra to solve problems.
Back to Duty
K20: British standards for engineering representations, drawings, and graphical information.
Back to Duty
K21: Application of digital systems to support manufacture: CAD (computer-aided design), CAM (computer-aided manufacturing), CMM (coordinate measuring machine), 3D printing, Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Back to Duty
K22: Problem solving and fault-finding techniques: root cause analysis.
Back to Duty
K23: Continuous improvement (CI) systems and techniques.
Back to Duty
K24: Digital technologies. General data protection regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
Back to Duty
K25: Industry 4.0.
Back to Duty
K26: Verbal communication techniques.
Back to Duty
K27: Written communication techniques. Technical report writing techniques.
Back to Duty
K28: Principles of team working. Equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Back to Duty
K29: Planning, prioritising, and time management techniques.
Back to Duty
K30: Battery manufacturing terminology: cell, battery, anodes, and cathodes.
Back to Duty
K31: Different types of battery and their technologies: pouch, cylindrical, prismatic, solid state, and monobloc, new technologies. Primary and secondary batteries. Developments in battery manufacturing.
Back to Duty
K32: Cell materials: solvents, and electrolyte.
Back to Duty
K33: Batteries and their applications.
Back to Duty
K34: Basic chemistry awareness: the Periodic Table, ionic and covalent bonding, the different current types of battery chemistry and their uses.
Back to Duty
K35: Battery standards and market certification.
Back to Duty
K36: Battery structure: cells, packs, anodes, cathodes, battery management systems.
Back to Duty
K37: Requirements for transportation of lithium cells and batteries.
Back to Duty
K38: Option 1. Formulations of materials - what they are and importance of following them. Manual and automated mixing methods.
Back to Duty
K39: Option 1. Materials used in electrode slurries: binder, solvents and active materials. Types of mixing equipment; pros and cons.
Back to Duty
K40: Option 1. Electrode process procedures.
Back to Duty
K41: Option 1. The purpose of electrode processes: mixing (semi continuous, continuous and batch), coating (continuous and intermittent or skip coating, extrusion methods), calendering (hot and cold), electrode slitting and cutting.
Back to Duty
K42: Option 1. Potential issues in electrode processing and defect identification.
Back to Duty
K43: Option 2. Formulations of materials - what they are and importance of following them. Manual and automated mixing methods.
Back to Duty
K44: Option 2. Cell assembly processes procedures.
Back to Duty
K45: Option 2. Cell assembly purpose of processes: preparation (drying), winding (manual and automated approaches), can insertion, electrode slitting (cylindrical cells) and cutting (pouch cells), stacking, and assembly (deep draw and heat sealing).
Back to Duty
K46: Option 2. Potential issues in cell assembly and defect identification.
Back to Duty
K47: Option 2. Different types of cells: pouch, cylindrical, prismatic, solid state, monobloc, and new technologies.
Back to Duty
K48: Option 2. Cell finishing monitoring and recording requirements.
Back to Duty
K49: Option 3. Formulations of materials - what they are and importance of following them. Manual and automated mixing methods.
Back to Duty
K50: Option 3. Electrical components in physics: voltage, current, resistance, power, charge and discharge – definition and calculation. The relationship between resistance, heat and cell chemistry. Kirchhoff’s Laws, Ohm’s Law. Flow of electrons.
Back to Duty
K51: Option 3. Formation, ageing and testing company processes procedures.
Back to Duty
K52: Option 3. Formation, ageing and testing purpose of processes: formation (current methods), ageing (current methods) and testing (open-circuit voltage, end of line, grading).
Back to Duty
K53: Option 3. Data techniques: data recording, analysis, and translation.
Back to Duty
K54: Option 3. Potential issues in formation, ageing and testing and defect identification methods.
Back to Duty
K55: Option 4. Stock control requirements.
Back to Duty
K56: Option 4. Engineering and design documentation application considerations.
Back to Duty
K57: Option 4. Module and pack assembly processes procedures.
Back to Duty
K58: Option 4. Implications of hazardous voltage.
Back to Duty
K59: Option 4. Live pack handling requirements.
Back to Duty
K60: Option 4. Module and pack purpose of processes: preparation, bonding, welding manual and automated methods (nickel tabs, bus bars), soldering, crimping, encapsulation and final assembly.
Back to Duty
K61: Option 4. Potential issues in module and pack and defect identification.
Back to Duty
K62: Option 4. Module and pack finishing - monitoring and recording requirements (traceability).
Back to Duty
S1: Obtain and read instructions or information to understand task.
Back to Duty
S2: Plan task. Identify and organise resources with consideration for safety, security, environmental impact, cost, and quality.
Back to Duty
S3: Identify hazards and risks in the workplace.
Back to Duty
S4: Apply health, safety and environmental procedures in compliance with regulations, standards and codes of practice for example lock out tag out (LOTO).
Back to Duty
S5: Reinstate work area: housekeeping, replacing tools and equipment.
Back to Duty
S6: Segregate resources for reuse, recycling, and handling.
Back to Duty
S7: Apply sustainability principles for example, in choice of materials, minimising waste.
Back to Duty
S8: Follow operational procedures including on-going quality checks: visual, tolerances, and non-conformances.
Back to Duty
S9: Transfer product, intermediate or final, to next stage.
Back to Duty
S10: Follow preventative maintenance practices. For example, cleaning electrodes, ensuring tooling is within calibration date, checking guarding, lubrication of tooling, safety checks, and inspection for wear and tear.
Back to Duty
S11: Record or enter information - paper based or electronic. For example, process and production records, traceability records, and quality assurance records.
Back to Duty
S12: Apply problem solving techniques. Make suggestions to resolve problems.
Back to Duty
S13: Interpret data for example, process data, quality control and test procedure data. Use data to validate suggestions.
Back to Duty
S14: Apply continuous improvement techniques for example, lean, 6 Sigma, KAIZEN.
Back to Duty
S15: Devise suggestions for improvement. For example, improving the energy consumption or waste profile of processes and procedures to improve the sustainability or carbon footprint of a product, process or task.
Back to Duty
S16: Apply team working principles.
Back to Duty
S17: Communicate with others verbally for example, colleagues and stakeholders.
Back to Duty
S18: Communicate in writing in the workplace for example, handover notes or emails, non-conformances, design change requests.
Back to Duty
S19: Escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
Back to Duty
S20: Use digital technologies. Comply with GDPR and cyber security regulations and policies.
Back to Duty
S21: Plan how to meet personal development needs. Carry out and record planned and unplanned continued professional development (CPD) activities. Evaluate CPD against plans made.
Back to Duty
S22: Option 1. Receive and check electrode manufacturing materials.
Back to Duty
S23: Option 1. Follow specialist PPE procedures for over suits, overshoes, boots, gloves, masks, eyewear, and self-contained breathing apparatus.
Back to Duty
S24: Option 1. Operate Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Back to Duty
S25: Option 1. Run, monitor and adjust HMI settings within permissions.
Back to Duty
S26: Option 2. Follow specialist PPE procedures for over suits, overshoes, boots, gloves, masks, and eyewear.
Back to Duty
S27: Option 2. Apply electrolyte safety precautions.
Back to Duty
S28: Option 2. Receive and check cell assembly manufacturing materials.
Back to Duty
S29: Option 2. Operate Human Machine Interface (HMI).
Back to Duty
S30: Option 2. Run, monitor and adjust HMI settings within permissions.
Back to Duty
S31: Option 3. Receive and check formation, ageing and testing manufacturing materials.
Back to Duty
S32: Option 3. Load and handle cells.
Back to Duty
S33: Option 3. Operate Human Machine Interface (HMI): set up, shut down, and cleaning modes.
Back to Duty
S34: Option 3. Identify trends in data.
Back to Duty
S35: Option 3. Run, monitor and adjust HMI settings within permissions.
Back to Duty
S36: Option 3. Monitor fire risks.
Back to Duty
S37: Option 4. Apply anti-static procedures for example, earth straps, rubber matting.
Back to Duty
S38: Option 4. Obtain and check module and pack manufacturing materials.
Back to Duty
S39: Option 4. Interpret engineering and design documentation.
Back to Duty
S40: Option 4. Prepare materials.
Back to Duty
S41: Option 4. Check hand tools and equipment.
Back to Duty
S42: Option 4. Uses hand tools and equipment. For example, crimping machines, soldering ions, and heat guns.
Back to Duty
S43: Option 4. Complete end-of-process check.
Back to Duty
S44: Option 4. Monitor fire risks.
Back to Duty
B1: Prioritise health, safety and environment.
Back to Duty
B2: Consider sustainability when using resources and carrying out processes.
Back to Duty
B3: Take responsibility for the quality of own work.
Back to Duty
B4: Responsive to constructive feedback.
Back to Duty
B5: Team-focus to meet work goals including a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Back to Duty
B6: Respond and adapt to work demands.
Back to Duty
B7: Committed to continued professional development.
Back to Duty
English and maths qualifications must be completed in line with the apprenticeship funding rules.
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 30/11/2023 | Not set |
Crown copyright © 2025. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence