Volkswagen aims to fill China’s electric car industry talent void with new academy in Hainan
- The German carmaker wants to train local talent for the electric vehicle industry as it vies for a larger share of the sector
- The move addresses ‘a lack of talent in China for the electric vehicle industry,’ says Zhang Xiang at the Jiangxi New Energy Technology Institute
It said it will collaborate on the development of new-energy and intelligence-connected vehicles (ICV). It signed an agreement on Monday with the Haikou government, the Hainan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and other partners.
The new academy will be the second such facility established by Volkswagen in China this year. It launched one in Hefei city in Anhui province in February as part of an academy programme that goes back more than a decade.
The move accelerates Volkswagen’s €15 billion (US$16.34 billion) electrification plan in the world’s largest car market.
It comes as the traditional carmaker is vying for a bigger slice of China’s booming new energy vehicle (NEV) industry. There is a growing need for higher-level talent as the nation aims for 20 per cent of its domestic vehicles to be battery-powered in two years’ time.
