News

Charlotte, N.C., April 17, 2024 -- Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a global leader in providing essential elements for mobility, energy, connectivity and health, announced a $1 million donation to Cleveland Community College (CCC) for the purchase of equipment, supplies and facility improvements to benefit workforce training programs that CCC is developing to support regional industries and projects, including the proposed redevelopment of the Kings Mountain Mine. The programs are designed to support the growth of businesses and strengthen the pipeline of skilled and diverse workers for the region.

The equipment and facility improvements are expected be an integral part of CCC’s Heavy Equipment Operator Program and support apprenticeship programs Albemarle is developing for several electrical and process operations roles. In addition, Albemarle employees are expected to benefit from customized training programs for the mine’s mineral processing facility. These programs are designed to allow both students and incoming Albemarle employees to learn and train on state-of-the-art equipment and simulators.

“A skilled and capable workforce is one of the most critical ingredients needed as we work to strengthen our U.S. supply chain of lithium,” said Ellen Lenny-Pessagno, Global Vice President External Affairs and Sustainability. “We are fortunate to have CCC’s experienced faculty and resources right here in the community that can be leveraged to build a pipeline of talent.”

“We are grateful to Albemarle for this significant investment,” said Dr. Jason Hurst, President of Cleveland Community College. “Not only does it benefit the delivery of workforce training programs, but it also provides Cleveland Community College with the means to develop new and innovative training programs and apprenticeships that support local and regional businesses. CCC has high-quality, professional instructors eager to deliver training with the proposed new equipment. Albemarle's commitment to this community, and its community college, is unique and much appreciated.”

The donation builds upon $5 million of announced funding to CCC as a subrecipient of the U.S. Department of Energy’s $150 million grant to the Kings Mountain Mine project. The overall grant is anticipated to support part of the construction cost for the mine’s mineral processing facility and CCC’s portion of the grant is expected to fund the development of a customized operator training program for the planned facility.

The Kings Mountain site is one of the few known hard-rock lithium deposits in the U.S. Currently, Albemarle is preparing permits for submittal to regulatory agencies and undergoing studies and social impact assessments to determine the feasibility of reopening the mine. Albemarle expects the proposed mine and mineral processing facility to require a workforce of more than 1,000 construction jobs and an additional 300 full-time, skilled roles. The current Kings Mountain site has more than 300 employees.

Since 2016, Albemarle has committed over $1 million dollars to community initiatives in the region with a focus on health, social services, educational and cultural initiatives intended to strengthen the Kings Mountain and surrounding communities.