US Department of Energy awards $16m to 16 universities for critical minerals workforce training

Each university will receive $1 million to develop education and training programs aimed at increasing the number of graduates and qualified workers entering mining and critical materials industries by 2028

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $16 million to 16 universities through its PROSPECT Planning Prize to develop training pathways for the country's mining and critical minerals workforce.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $16 million to 16 universities to develop new workforce training pathways in mining, materials science and critical minerals processing, as the country seeks to address shortages of engineers and technical specialists.

The awards provide $1 million to each institution through the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) Planning Prize. The funding will support university plans to increase the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals entering the critical minerals workforce by the end of 2028.

The awards form part of DOE's broader PROSPECT initiative, which has a proposed funding envelope of up to $100 million. Its aim is to strengthen domestic capabilities in the production, processing, recovery and recycling of minerals used across energy, manufacturing and defense technologies.

DOE estimates that the USA will need approximately 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade, alongside additional workers in materials science, processing and recycling.

Audrey Robertson, Assistant Secretary of Energy, says the workforce shortage has developed over many years: “For decades, we have allowed our mining and critical minerals workforce to decline and our domestic supply chains of critical minerals to weaken.”

Universities plan new technical qualifications and practical training

The winning proposals outline different approaches to increasing participation in mining and related technical careers, including programs that extend beyond traditional mining engineering degrees.

According to the PROSPECT prize administrators, common themes include flexible, stackable qualifications that allow students and existing workers to build credentials over time, alongside practical learning opportunities in mines, laboratories and field environments.

The plans also address pathways into employment after graduation or program completion, connecting technical education with workforce requirements across the critical minerals supply chain.

The initiative is intended to support a wider pool of potential workers, including students pursuing related engineering and scientific disciplines, technicians and people seeking to retrain for roles in mining and materials processing.

DOE has previously identified declining enrollment in mining programs, limited teaching and laboratory capacity, shortages of specialist instructors and restricted access to work-based learning as obstacles to increasing graduate numbers.

The newly announced funding is for developing workforce expansion plans. The department has not published institution-level targets or evidence of additional graduates resulting from these awards.

Sixteen universities selected for $1m awards

The selected institutions include several universities specializing in mining and engineering, alongside larger research universities.

Colorado School of Mines, Michigan Technological University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Montana Technological University, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are among the recipients.

The awards also include Columbia University, The Pennsylvania State University, The University of Texas at El Paso, The University of Utah, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Arizona, University of Kentucky, University of Nevada, Reno, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and West Virginia University.

Each institution was selected for a proposal outlining how it intends to increase the number of graduates or credentialed workers prepared for employment in critical minerals and associated supply chain fields.

The prize administrators identified several shared priorities across winning submissions, but have not provided detailed descriptions of every university's planned programs in the winner announcement.

PROSPECT targets wider changes to mining education

The $16 million Planning Prize is one component of DOE's broader $100 million PROSPECT initiative, first outlined in August 2026.

The larger program is intended to increase educational capacity in mining, minerals and associated supply chain technologies, with a near-term ambition to double the number of graduates in relevant degree subjects within two years.

Longer-term measures identified by DOE include new curricula, teaching resources, scholarships, financial assistance and other incentives to attract students into critical minerals careers.

The program also envisages cooperation between universities, industry, national laboratories, schools and workforce organizations to strengthen technical education and employment pathways.

The PROSPECT Planning Prize was funded by DOE's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation and managed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies through the American-Made prize program.

Applications closed on October 5, 2026, with the 16 winning institutions announced on October 26. Their proposed education and workforce initiatives are intended to increase the number of qualified graduates and workers by the end of the 2028 calendar year.

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