The Department of Defense announced today a $6.56 million award via the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) office to Montana Technological University (Montana Tech), located in Butte, Montana. The award will fund the development and delivery of a critical workforce development program that will allow trainees to upskill their capabilities in metallurgical, geological, mining, and environmental engineering. The project directly bolsters the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy's aim to expand support for domestic production of critical minerals and prepare the workforce for future technological innovation.
"The dearth of individuals with the requisite skills in mining and metallurgy is one of the largest bottlenecks for our Nation's ability to increase its critical mineral production capacity," said Mr. Anthony Di Stasio, Director of the Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) directorate in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience. "With this award, Montana Tech will be able to expand its reach to help train the next generation of the critical minerals workforce."
Through Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act, Montana Tech will create a curriculum with both online and hands-on components in multiple disciplines within the mineral extraction industry — skills currently in danger of being lost in the United States. The program will be a first-of-its-kind supporting effort for DPA that helps ensure we have a workforce in place that provides the human capital needed to fill the jobs created by direct investments in expanded capabilities.
This is the latest of 47 awards made by the DPAI program across multiple areas totaling $470 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2024. DPAI is overseen by the MCEIP directorate in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience.
