Alcoa Foundation Announces US$1.25 Million Global Internship Program for Unemployed Youth
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.
Contact
Alcoa Foundation
Suzanne van de Raadt, Communication manager, +1-212-836-2662
Suzanne.vanderaadt@alcoa.com