A pioneering programme to nurture tomorrow’s generation of professionals for the expanding US lead-acid sector is under way in Missouri backed by lead recycling firm Doe Run.
St Louis-based Doe Run has already stepped up hiring in 2017 and 2018 for its mining and lead battery recycling operations.
And the firm is now hosting a 13-student class of summer interns to help train skilled workers needed for the industry’s future. This summer’s intake includes young men and women pursuing degrees in a range of subjects such as mining, metallurgical and materials engineering and chemical engineering.
In addition to internships, Doe Run partners with local colleges to provide scholarships, field trips and equipment donations that help train the future workforce.
Mark Coomes, vice-president of human resources and community relations at Doe Run said: “We will continue to need bright young professionals to lead future innovations in our field, and enjoy helping these interns launch their careers. It’s an economic success story that Doe Run can manage many stages of the lead lifecycle here in the US, where mining and recycling provides an abundant supply of the lead we need for batteries.”
Doe Run said the US lead battery industry directly employs more than 20,000 people across the country and mining operations employ more than 186,000. Mining and manufacturing are part of the many STEM-related (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) occupations projected to grow to more than nine million jobs between 2012 and 2022— “faster than most other occupations”.
Doe Run operates one of the world’s largest, single-site lead recycling centres in Boss, Missouri and mines from one of the world’s largest lead mining districts— also in the state.
BBB reported earlier this year that the US lead battery industry contributed more than $28 billion of total economic output to the national economy in 2016.