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US rare earth workforce plan aims to ramp up mining graduates
The Department of Energy projects the US needs about 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade, while the funding package includes up to $100 million for a program to double graduates within two years.
Mining.com reports that the US government is moving to accelerate the rare earth and critical minerals workforce, with federal funding for mining education announced alongside a White House roundtable with mining executives in Washington on August 7.
According to Mining.com, the Department of Energy provided the first serious federal funding for mining education in a generation, totaling more than $180 million as part of a larger White House package exceeding $2 billion, with Bloomberg tallying it at $3 billion.
The largest component is a new DOE program, PROSPECT, worth up to $100 million, designed to double the number of graduates with mining, minerals and supply chain credentials within two years.
Mining.com also notes DOE estimates US need at about 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade, and describes additional proposed funding for three schools totaling $81.3 million, including grants to the Colorado School of Mines, South Dakota Mines, and Johns Hopkins for critical minerals innovation, a scholars consortium, and recycling hubs.