DOE OSTI2026
The energy sector is undergoing rapid growth and transformation, creating urgent demand for a skilled workforce to support emerging technologies and resilient systems. Hydrogen is an emerging solution for “hard to abate” sectors, including heavy industry and transportation that also provides optionality for the electric system and enables long‑duration energy storage. As hydrogen scales from traditional industrial uses to new applications, success depends on knowledgeable engineers, technicians, planners, and operators safely deploying hydrogen technologies across the full value chain: production, delivery, storage, and end use. The H 2 EDGE initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office from 2020 to 2025, was launched to prepare people for careers hydrogen and related technologies. Through its interactive approach, H 2 EDGE equipped stakeholders with knowledge and tools to build a reliable and sustainable energy future together. H 2 EDGE built a national network of academic and industry partners to deliver modular training, share open-access curricula, and engage diverse talent pipelines. The program leveraged EPRI’s extensive industry membership and expanded on the train-the-trainer model of the GridEd program to connect educators, employers, and community organizations across all regions of the U.S. New methods were introduced to more systematically map hydrogen competencies and assess curricula using traditional and AI-assisted approaches. Outcomes included delivery of professional short courses, developing university curriculum, sponsoring faculty and student projects, and engaging stakeholders through workshops, site tours, and webinars.