POSCO E&C supports construction workforce development in Argentina

POSCO E&C (formerly POSCO Engineering & Construction), the builder affiliate of South Korea's POSCO Group, announced on Wednesday that it has signed a local construction workforce development agreement with POSCO Argentina and the UOCRA Foundation in the Salta Province of Argentina on April 11.

POSCO Argentina is a subsidiary of the POSCO Group that operates local mineral exploration and sales businesses, and the UOCRA Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1993 by the Argentine construction workers union.

Under the latest agreement, POSCO Group plans to provide basic construction education and training courses in areas such as plastering, welding and heavy equipment operation to about 110 unemployed youths, including female workers. The courses consist of five basic skill levels, and each course is conducted with 30% theory and 70% practical training for a period of two to four months.

The education fees are fully waived, and a professional certification valid in Argentina is awarded upon completion. In addition to financial support, POSCO E&C will also provide employment opportunities at the ongoing lithium brine commercialization site.

In 2018, the POSCO Group acquired a lithium-rich Hombre Muerto Salt Lake in the Salta Province, becoming the first Korean company to embark on lithium resource commercialization in Argentina. It is currently building a lithium hydroxide plant with a capacity of 25,000 tons near the salt lake.

Through additional investment, the group plans to establish a production system of 100,000 tons in Argentina by 2028 and 300,000 tons worldwide by 2030, positioning itself as the world's third-largest lithium producer.

Write to Jae-Fu Kim at hu@hankyung.com