Every energy-related supply chain begins with a prospector—someone who sees opportunity where others see ordinary ground. America’s future depends on a new generation of prospectors, including geologists, miners, engineers, technicians, metallurgists, materials scientists, manufacturers, and innovators.
The Department of Energy's Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) program supports the development of U.S. talent that can discover, produce, process, and advance the critical minerals supply chains essential to America’s energy security, economic strength, and national defense.
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Overview
National Challenge
The United States faces a major workforce deficit across the entire critical minerals and materials supply chain—from upstream mining to midstream processing and downstream recycling. Since 2015, enrollment in American mining programs has declined by approximately 45%. DOE estimates that the United States will need approximately 6,000 new engineers in the mining sector alone over the next 10 years. Similar shortfalls in materials science and recycling have allowed foreign workforces to outpace the United States at every stage of the supply chain.
Overcoming this challenge will require greater coordination between government, universities, and industry; modernized curricula; and a concerted effort to raise awareness of career opportunities in mining.
Our Response
The Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) is launching the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) program. The near-term goal of PROSPECT is to double the number of graduates with degrees related to mining, minerals, and associated supply chain technologies within two years. In the long term, PROSPECT will support the implementation of new curricula, teaching tools, financial-aid programs, and other incentives that promote continued growth in these fields.
The Program
With up to $100 million, the nationwide initiative will fund efforts to attract university students to careers that directly support the domestic production, processing, recovery, and recycling of critical minerals, building the next-generation workforce that can revitalize American mining and secure domestic supply chains for the materials that underpin the modern economy.
News and Updates
Receive the latest funding updates from CMEI.