When Imperial Valley College launched a new program training students to become plant operators and technicians in the emerging lithium industry, Corban Dillon enrolled in the inaugural class.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d spent the first part of his career working for his family\u2019s courier business in this part of southeastern California, but it faltered after the pandemic and the death of his father. Dillon hoped the new certificate program would give him a leg up as the industry grew to meet demand for lithium, a key mineral in the country\u2019s clean energy transition.<\/p>\n
But when he completed his certificate in spring 2024, lithium jobs weren\u2019t available yet. So when the community college launched a second certificate option the following year, Dillon joined the first class of that program too. He finished that certificate last year \u2014 but the lithium industry still hadn\u2019t caught up. Now, he\u2019s enrolled in his third lithium certificate and will finish in December. Hundreds of anticipated jobs related to lithium extraction likely still won\u2019t be available by then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of us already have jobs or have families and are trying to juggle all that and trying to get a certification,\u201d said Dillon, 41. “And not having actual potential employment as of right now, it\u2019s hard for one person to sit there and say, \u2018You know what? Let\u2019s continue with this.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The situation speaks to a conundrum faced by local colleges when a new industry promises to come to town: Local residents want the new jobs. Companies say they want to hire local residents, but they\u2019d need additional skills and training. In the middle are schools like Imperial Valley College, left to figure out the best timing to launch a new program that will prepare students for the new industry: soon enough that they can apply for jobs before they\u2019re filled by skilled out-of-towners, but not so soon that students are left waiting for jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Imperial Valley College \u2014 which says it is now temporarily scaling back its lithium programs because of the job market uncertainty \u2014 offers a case study in the pitfalls of trying to prepare students for emerging fields. It\u2019s an \u201cincredibly common\u201d challenge, said Betony Jones, a senior researcher in the University of California, Berkeley Labor Center\u2019s green economy program and a former Biden administration official. Other fields that have faced similar uncertainty because of political and economic factors include solar<\/a> and manufacturing<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this fine calibration required where employers need the workers for the projects, they can\u2019t start training the workers when they need them,\u201d said Jones. \u201cBut workers can\u2019t train and then wait around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Apprenticeships are bringing new workers to heritage industries<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n In Imperial County, an agricultural area that has among the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the state, the stakes are particularly high. In March, its unemployment rate was 16.9 percent<\/a>, more than triple that of neighboring counties.<\/p>\n Priscilla Lopez, the county\u2019s director of workforce and economic development, sums up the need for jobs with a single anecdote: Last year, a new hotel opened in the county, creating 50 positions. The hotel offered in-person applications at the workforce development office, and in a single day, nearly 1,500 people arrived to apply.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe mentality that we see today here is: If we want a future, we need to leave the valley,\u201d said Lopez. \u201cBut wouldn\u2019t it be great to have these opportunities so that your kids can see the opportunities here, and maybe we keep our talent.\u201d<\/p>\n When three companies began eyeing the region for its lithium reserves, attention quickly turned to jobs. The region was rechristened \u201cLithium Valley\u201d; California Gov. Gavin Newsom called it \u201cthe Saudi Arabia of lithium\u201d; and Berkshire Hathaway Energy Renewables, one of the companies vying to extract lithium from the region, announced<\/a> it could launch commercial operations by 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n The reality has been different. BHE Renewables only just completed construction on its demonstration plant, Christina Fleming, senior vice president of mineral development, wrote in an email.<\/p>\n Controlled Thermal Resources, another company active in the region, is in the \u201cmoney-raising\u201d stage, according to Jim Turner, the company\u2019s president. Lithium extraction jobs are at least about two years away, he said.<\/p>\n Lithium batteries are currently the most common way to store wind and solar energy and power electric vehicles. An estimated 18 million metric tons<\/a> of lithium carbonate is embedded in the hot brine deep beneath the Salton Sea, enough to power 375 million electric car batteries.<\/p>\n Calls for more education opportunities in Imperial Valley intensified as news of a potential lithium boom spread. The area\u2019s two main higher education institutions \u2014 Imperial Valley College and a San Diego State University satellite campus acted fast.<\/p>\n San Diego State used $80 million in state funding to build a new STEM campus prioritizing science, technology, engineering and math.<\/p>\n This fall, the classrooms will open for students in the school\u2019s new undergraduate degree programs in electrical engineering and chemistry, both chosen to support local industry needs in the geothermal and lithium sectors. As of mid-April, the campus had received nearly 100 eligible applications for the two programs, according to Daniella Rodiles, a media relations officer at the university.<\/p>\n Imperial Valley College received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for its Lithium Industry Force Training program. The program\u2019s three certificates \u2014 plant operator, chemical lab technician and instrumentation technician \u2014 can each be completed in two semesters, and courses include chemistry, math, hazmat training, water treatment plant operation and plant operation.<\/p>\n The community college has touted the certificate programs as a fast track into the lithium industry. \u201cAre you ready to launch your career in the booming lithium industry? Imperial Valley College\u2019s new chemical lab technician certificate program is your ticket in,\u201d states a voiceover<\/a> in a 2024 promotional video for one of the certificate programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n And Imperial Valley residents, hungry for stable jobs close to home, have responded.<\/p>\n Related: Colleges partnered with an EV battery factory to train students and ignite the economy. Trump\u2019s clean energy war complicates their plans<\/a><\/p>\n For George Prieto, the plant operator certificate is his first foray into higher education. On a recent Monday before class, he showed off his newly issued badge for an internship at the local water and power utility, which will fulfill the program\u2019s work experience requirements. Prieto, 48, previously worked in retail merchandising and deejays on the weekends.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUsually, when they have these jobs, people from all over the world come; this gives us a chance with this being our backyard,\u201d said Prieto. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to go and sacrifice and go somewhere else [for a job].\u201d<\/p>\n Prieto\u2019s classmate, Alberto Curiel, was initially looking into an electrician certificate when he heard \u201chow much of a demand\u201d there will be for plant operators. Curiel, 24, wants a job with benefits in Imperial Valley that pays better than roofing, which is what he\u2019s done since high school for around $23 an hour, \u201cwhile breaking my back in the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of want a better trade-off,\u201d said Curiel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Industry representatives and the county blame the delayed timelines on a 2024 lawsuit by environmental groups. The lawsuit alleges Imperial County officials underestimated future environmental impacts \u2014 such as water potential pollution and health effects \u2014 of a project proposed by Controlled Thermal Resources. A court rejected the legal challenge<\/a> last year, and the environmental justice groups have appealed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But there are other factors at play too. The Trump administration eliminated electric vehicle incentives<\/a> last year, and both industry and the federal government have turned more attention to lithium projects in other parts of the country. In late 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey announced between 5 million and 19 million tons<\/a> of lithium reserves located beneath southwestern Arkansas, rivaling the vast reserve near the Salton Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n One project in Arkansas received a $225 million Department of Energy grant<\/a>, and Chevron opened up a pilot well in the area. In Nevada, the Trump administration has taken an equity stake<\/a> in a different lithium project. Near the Salton Sea, one of the three main companies working on lithium recently shifted some of its attention to data centers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In late 2024, a member of the California Energy Commission warned Imperial County residents<\/a> that \u201cthe Lithium Valley is not a sure thing,\u201d citing the trend of federal funding from the Department of Energy going toward other states.<\/p>\n Last August, SDSU President Adela de la Torre was more blunt<\/a>, writing in a commentary piece that \u201cunless progress in Lithium Valley accelerates rapidly, these students will graduate into an empty local job market.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe timing thing has been something that\u2019s out of our control,\u201d John McMillan, SDSU\u2019s assistant vice president of economic development, said in an interview. \u201cWhat we can control is two things: One is being collaborative with the companies, trying to see if we can cobuild opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing that we can control is the students that we train,\u201d said McMillan. \u201cWhat we can guarantee is that the students will have a quality engineering and chemistry education that can make them effective in many of the industries out here.\u201d<\/p>\n And, since SDSU is starting out with only freshmen in its first year offering new STEM degrees, it will be another four years before the campus starts producing graduates.<\/p>\n Imperial Valley College will soon graduate its third year of industry-trained students.<\/p>\n \u201cThe original plan was to time all of these programs sequential to once the industry comes up to speed,\u201d said Lennor Johnson, who leads the Imperial Community College District. By now, he said, \u201cwe thought we would be 100% in full operation with Lithium Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n A total of 173 students have enrolled in certification programs since fall 2023; 42 have completed their certificates and 57 are currently enrolled. As of Fall 2025, a total of 16 students had found jobs directly related to their certificates, Johnson said.<\/p>\n Imperial Valley College has reduced the number of students in each cohort and will not offer two of the certificates next year. The plan is to bring those programs back in the 2027-2028 academic year, if that timing lines up with the industry\u2019s projections on jobs.<\/p>\n Related: States bet big on career education, but struggle to show it works<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Prieto is hopeful that his certificate will be transferable to other industries, while Dillon believes the huge amount of lithium under Imperial County means the industry will come to full fruition eventually. In April, he started a new full-time job with a mining company, with good pay, benefits, room and board while on-site, and a company car.<\/p>\n There\u2019s just one catch: The job isn\u2019t in Imperial County.\u00a0<\/p>\n Contact editor Caroline Preston at 212-870-8965, on Signal at CarolineP.83 or via email at preston@hechingerreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n This story about Imperial Valley College<\/a> was produced by The Hechinger Report<\/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/in-californias-lithium-valley-students-are-training-for-jobs-that-havent-yet-materialized\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org”>The Hechinger Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hechingerreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/cropped-favicon.jpg?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n <img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&post=116882&ga4=G-03KPHXDF3H” style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https:\/\/hechingerreport.org\/in-californias-lithium-valley-students-are-training-for-jobs-that-havent-yet-materialized\/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } <\/script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/hechingerreport.org\/p.js”><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Erin Rode, The Hechinger Report June 16, 2026 When Imperial Valley College launched a new program training…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[147268,7,9,8,147269,443,147270,4573,147271,147272,147273,13,15255,4119,1695],"class_list":["post-362421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-adult-learning","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-career-pathways-and-economic-mobility","tag-climate-change","tag-college-to-careers","tag-community-college","tag-cte","tag-higher-education-access","tag-higher-education-completion","tag-politics","tag-stem","tag-top","tag-trump-administration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}