Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 30, 2026) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQB: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") and Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology have formalized a collaboration focused on developing the skilled workforce needed to support the proposed Lake Superior Lithium refinery and strengthen career opportunities across Northwestern Ontario.

Under a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Lake Superior Lithium and Confederation College will work together to explore and develop workforce training, education and career pathways aligned with the skills required to operate and maintain the proposed lithium refinery.

The collaboration will focus on creating opportunities for education, training, upskilling, work-integrated learning, employment readiness and career development for a diverse range of learners, with a particular emphasis on Indigenous learners and community members.

"Building a skilled, diverse and locally rooted workforce will be an important part of realizing the long-term potential of the Lake Superior Lithium project and the expansion of the critical minerals industry in Northwestern Ontario," said Scott Monteith, CEO & President of Avalon Advanced Materials.

The partnership will explore curriculum and programming related to a range of technical and skilled occupations that could support the refinery, including industrial electricians, mechanical millwrights, welders, instrumentation and control technicians, electrical engineering technologists, chemical engineering technologists, power engineers, construction boilermakers, process operators, laboratory technicians and health and safety professionals.

"Confederation College is committed to working with industry and communities to create meaningful pathways into the workforce," said Carol Cline, Associate Vice President, Workforce Development, Confederation College. "This collaboration provides an opportunity to align education and training with emerging workforce needs while helping learners develop the skills, experience and connections necessary to pursue rewarding careers in the region."

The collaboration represents an important step toward connecting Northwestern Ontario learners with the skills and career opportunities that could emerge from the region's growing critical minerals and advanced manufacturing sectors.

About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian critical minerals company focused on advancing lithium and rare earth elements-two of the fastest-growing segments of the global energy transition. The Company is developing strategic assets to participate in high-growth markets and support the build-out of secure North American supply chains. Avalon is advancing the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements and Zirconium Project in the Northwest Territories, which contains all light and heavy rare earth elements, as well as zirconium, tantalum, and niobium-critical minerals used in advanced technologies across the communications, defense, advanced technologies, and energy sectors. The Company is also focused on vertically integrating the Ontario lithium supply chain through the development of Lake Superior Lithium Inc., Ontario's first midstream lithium hydroxide processing facility, located in Thunder Bay. This facility is expected to serve as a cornerstone of North America's integrated battery materials supply chain, transforming northern Ontario lithium into essential inputs for transportation, grid storage, and advanced manufacturing.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "add" or "additional", "advancing", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "appears", "believes", "can be", "conceptual", "confidence", "continue", "convert" or "conversion", "deliver", "demonstrating", "estimates", "encouraging", "expand" or "expanding" or "expansion", "expect" or "expectations", "forecasts", "forward", "goal", "improves", "increase", "intends", "justification", "plans", "potential" or "potentially", "promise", "prospective", "prioritize", "reflects", "robust", "scheduled", "suggesting", "support", "top-tier", "updating", "upside", "will be" or "will consider", "work towards", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved".

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including those risk factors discussed or referred to in the annual information form of the Company dated November 26, 2025 (the "AIF") under the heading "Description of the Business - Risk Factors". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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