POSCO Holdings (005490.KS) is developing lithium — often called "white oil" — in Argentina while also taking the lead in training local technical talent and creating jobs.
POSCO Argentina, the company's local unit, produced eight graduates from the first class of a vocational training program it ran last month, POSCO Holdings said on the 28th. Carabajal, who was named the top trainee, said at the completion ceremony that the program provided skills and knowledge that could be applied immediately and would help in finding a job.
The course ran for two weeks from the 13th to the 24th of last month, eight hours a day for a total of 100 hours. Rather than focusing on theory, it covered hands-on work such as welding, piping and machinery maintenance, and concrete installation.
POSCO Argentina covered all tuition and teaching materials. All eight participants — two top students selected from each of four technical schools in Salta province — completed the course without a single dropout.
The company plans to run the program four to six times a year at intervals of two to three months, rather than treating it as a one-off event. With about 10 participants per session, it aims to train some 50 skilled technicians annually. Graduates receive certificates accredited by the Salta provincial education ministry, and top graduates are given preference in hiring by POSCO Argentina and its partner firms.
The provincial education ministry has praised the program as a leading example of regional talent development through cooperation among industry, government and schools. In an article in the provincial government's official gazette, it called the program a meaningful initiative that helped technical school students give up their winter break to experience an actual industrial site and build the specialized skills required in the mining sector.
The company is also working to strengthen the technical skills of young people in the region. In June, POSCO Argentina covered all airfare and accommodation costs for students from Salta province who took part in RoboCup 2026, the world's largest robotics competition, held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon.
The company has also created jobs through local hiring. POSCO Argentina currently has 620 employees, of whom only 60, or 9.7%, are expatriates dispatched from South Korea. The remaining 560, or 90.3%, were hired locally. Park Hyun, head of POSCO Argentina, said the company would work harder on localization by cutting rather than adding expatriate positions. "In Argentina, where we have hired dozens of people over the past two years, we will develop engineering graduates from bachelor's to doctoral level so that they can work as more highly skilled talent," he said.
