Today, Alcoa Foundation announced a US$1.25 million internship program
for 500 students in eight countries over the next two years. The program
is a community-wide initiative involving several manufacturing companies
and will be managed by the Institute
of International Education (IIE). The goal is to provide unemployed
youth with the experience to start a successful career in manufacturing.
The announcement was made at Alcoa’s 125th anniversary
celebration in Pittsburgh, PA, by Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld, who
stressed the importance of youth receiving work-related experience and
information about post-secondary education and technical training
options.
“To educate and train young people well is fundamental for allowing them
to create their own future. This is critically important for the
individual as much as it strengthens the communities they live in. We
are proud to work with our nonprofit partners around the world in
bringing these opportunities to our Alcoa locations and offer attractive
options for the youth to explore careers in manufacturing and
engineering.”
Alcoa (NYSE: AA) leadership in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France,
Jamaica, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States will select
nonprofit organizations with job readiness programs to financially
support, that will place students in internships with local
manufacturers.
“This program will provide student interns with valuable hands-on
learning experience and teach the skills necessary for a career in
advanced manufacturing,” said Tricia Napor, Vice President, Alcoa
Foundation. “In addition, local nonprofits will work with Alcoa
locations to arrange volunteers to mentor interns, share manufacturing
expertise, and host locations visits for all interns in the program.”
Each nonprofit will receive on average US$125,000 to deploy a
paid-internship program in the community.
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the
U.S., with assets of approximately $460 million. Founded 60 years ago,
Alcoa Foundation has invested more than $570 million since 1952. In
2012, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than $21 million to nonprofit
organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships to
improve the environment and educate tomorrow’s leaders for careers in
manufacturing and engineering. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further
enhanced by Alcoa’s thousands of employee volunteers who share their
talents and time to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa
operates. Through the Company’s signature Month of Service program, in
2012, a record 60 percent of Alcoa employees took part in more than
1,050 events across 24 countries, benefiting more than 450,000 people
and 2,050 nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit alcoafoundation.com
and follow @AlcoaFoundation on
Twitter.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated
aluminum, as well as the world’s largest miner of bauxite and refiner of
alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum industry,
Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the aerospace,
automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial
transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the
past 125 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled
products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels,
fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building
systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as
titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral
part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and
engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index for 11 consecutive years and approximately 75
percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in
active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 30
countries across the world. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com,
follow @Alcoa on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Alcoa and
follow Alcoa on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Alcoa.
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education is a world leader in the
international exchange of people and ideas. An independent,
not-for-profit organization founded in 1919, IIE has a network of 19
offices and affiliates worldwide and over 1,200 member institutions. IIE
designs and implements programs of study and training for students,
educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with
funding from government agencies, foundations, and corporations. IIE
also conducts policy research and program evaluations, and provides
advising and counseling on international education and opportunities
abroad. For more information, visit www.iie.org.
Alcoa Foundation
Suzanne van de Raadt, Communication manager, +1-212-836-2662
Suzanne.vanderaadt@alcoa.com