Trump's $180M mining education plan crucial to stem US labor shortage: experts

The Trump administration's more than $180 million investment in education and training programs for the mining industry is a significant step toward addressing the sector's growing labor issueslike an anticipated flood of retirements, industry members and academics told Platts.

US President Donald Trump announced the new funding programs at a roundtable Aug. 7 alongside mining executives. Representatives from accredited mining engineering programs in the US were also in attendance at the State Department.

The funds will go a long way to bolstering the US pipeline of mining talent, experts told Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

"It's certainly the first time that a presidential administration has taken this kind of interest in mining engineering education and in creating a talent pipeline for the mining industry," Kray Luxbacher, head of the University of Arizona's School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources, told Platts. "So, from that perspective, it's really critical."

Taking a similar view, Aaron Noble, head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Tech, called the day historic for the mining sector.

"The announcement of the investment was phenomenal because that's what we're going to need ... to really support our mineral production ambitions," Noble said.

Luxbacher and Noble are members of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration and attended the president's roundtable.

Bolstering the workforce

As part of the funding, the Department of Energy is investing up to $100 million to bolster the country's critical minerals workforce as part of the administration's larger effort to build domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign imports.

The funding will go toward an initiative aimed at expanding educational opportunities and developing a skilled workforce that is required for domestic production of critical minerals. The program is looking to double the number of graduates with degrees in mining, minerals and associated supply chain technologies within two years, according to the federal agency.

Currently, the US sees between 150 and 200 graduates in mining engineering across the country, but the industry demand for skilled workers is three to four times that number, according to Noble.

The Defense Department also announced more than $80 million in funding for three projects at the Colorado School of Mines, the South Dakota School of Mines and Johns Hopkins University. The projects are intended to advance technology, foster public-private partnership and build up the industry workforce.

"The administration's investment in America's mining schools is an investment in American economic, national and energy security," Rich Nolan, president and CEO at the National Mining Association (NMA), said in an Aug. 7 statement.

The funding will allow the university mining programs to start addressing persistent issues in the industry, including helping lead networks of community college and vocational education programs, according to Luxbacher.

"We can't do it alone," said Luxbacher. "But I think that we can work with industry to help design education programs that will bring all of those people into the fold because we really need all types of talent at every level."

Money isn't the only benefit, according to Noble, who said that national conversations are also helping with other challenges, like in boosting student awareness of mining programs.

"The fact that this is getting discussed at the highest levels of government and as a national priority ... will also help tear down some of those other gaps," Noble said.

Union points to immediate needs

While the United Mine Workers of America said it appreciated that any federal support helps address labor issues, the group added that the funding doesn't provide support to current miners who are struggling to make ends meet and continue to face dangerous work conditions.

"Because all this money is tied up in college courses, four-year degrees and defense pilot projects, it's going to be years before any of these folks even set foot on a job site," the UMWA's communications director, Erin Bates, told Platts. "Meanwhile, mines are shutting down right now and experienced workers are getting laid off or leaving the industry today."

The union also said that the funding doesn't solve the industry's immediate workforce needs, Bates said.

The White House said the funding will help revitalize the US mining sector and the next generation of miners.

"This is precisely why the president and his team are prioritizing America's mining industry after years of neglect," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Platts.

The National Mining Association, a trade group, also flagged significant labor challenges in the mining sector, saying that while the investment is a great start, there's still a lot to do to address these longstanding issues. The industry needs fast-tracked funding and programs to address the coming labor shortfall, NMA spokesperson Ashley Burke told Platts.

"Half of the US mining workforce is expected to retire by 2033," Burke said. "At the same time, we're graduating only a couple of hundred undergraduates with mining and engineering degrees each year. The numbers don't add up."