A Call to Build a High-Road Lithium Valley
The new report High Road Training for Lithium Valley: Opportunities and Challenges shows how Imperial County can turn its lithium reserves into real economic opportunity for local residents. Developed by Comité Cívico del Valle and the UC San Diego Labor Center, the report highlights both the region’s potential for thousands of high-quality jobs and the structural barriers that stand in the way, including limited training access, childcare shortages, transportation challenges, and deep community mistrust. It makes clear that without intentional planning and strong local partnerships, Lithium Valley risks repeating past patterns of exclusion.
Additional resources on this page offer deeper insight into the findings and tools to support high-road workforce development in the region.