CMEI Launches $100 Million PROSPECT Program to Double Critical Minerals Graduates in 2 Years
Updated
Updated · Energy.gov · Aug 7
CMEI Launches $100 Million PROSPECT Program to Double Critical Minerals Graduates in 2 Years
1 articles · Updated · Energy.gov · Aug 7
Summary
$100 million in DOE-backed funding will support CMEI’s new PROSPECT program, aimed at building a U.S. workforce for critical minerals mining, processing, recovery and recycling.
The push targets a widening talent gap across the supply chain: U.S. mining-program enrollment has fallen about 45% since 2015, and DOE estimates the sector alone needs roughly 6,000 new engineers over the next decade.
PROSPECT’s near-term goal is to double graduates in mining, minerals and related supply-chain technologies within two years through university recruitment and career-pipeline support.
Longer term, the program is meant to modernize curricula, expand teaching tools and financial aid, and strengthen domestic supply chains tied to energy security, economic competitiveness and national defense.