Alcan Aluminium UK Limited Lynemouth Smelter Ashington Northumberland, NE63 9YH England T +44 (0) 1670 393811 F +44

(0) 1670 393956

9 July 2012

Press release
Lynemouth funds new initiative for local schools Rio Tinto Alcan Lynemouth has donated 65,000 to the Ashington Learning Partnership to fund a new education project in South East Northumberland. The donation is part of Rio Tintos Legacy Initiative designed to support the needs of the local community following the closure of its Lynemouth Smelter site. The Rio Tinto Alcan investment will fund two core programmes to ensure 3,000 students across five schools in the area have the opportunity to develop a worldclass set of enterprise, employability and entrepreneurial skills so they can compete in todays increasingly competitive and contracted labour market. John McCabe, Rio Tinto Alcans regional economic development director, said: For more than 40 years, our Lynemouth plant has played a major role in South East Northumberland communities by supporting the local economy and helping charities, voluntary organisations and other good causes. With the closure of the Smelter, we are keen to ensure we leave behind benefits that will last and continue to improve peoples lives long after we have gone. We are pleased to be supporting the Ashington Learning Partnership to deliver this new and exciting educational programme. The Partnership has an enviable track record of working with local businesses on experiential projects which help learners to develop a wide range of key skills. We strongly believe it has devised an innovative teaching programme that will inspire local youngsters and help them to make the connection between whats taught in the classroom and the practical relevance to the world of work. The funding from Rio Tinto Alcan will enable the Partnership to roll-out its STEM Futures Programme, which is specifically designed to tap into the North Easts engineering heritage and aims to embed a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) programme across its partner secondary schools. The project also includes the conversion of an existing science lab at Bothal Middle School into a state-of-the art STEM room with practical and inspiring learning resources. It will assist over 2000 learners in two Middle and High Schools and focuses on sustainable links with local engineering businesses. The donation will also fund a new Vocational and Technical Skills Centre on the Ashington High School site, which will give learners a major head start in developing the kind of sought after technical skills that employers require.

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The Centre will enable Ashington High School to enhance its current offering by developing areas in construction and the built environment, hair and beauty, manufacturing and product design, engineering and hospitality. In the long-term, it is hoped the Centres facilities will be available for night classes to expand the Partnerships already impressive adult education offering. Trevor Swann, the new director of strategy and standards for the Ashington Learning Partnership, explains: Ive joined the organisation at an exciting time as we embrace new challenges. Ashington is situated in one of the most economically deprived districts in the country which is why its vital we encourage and equip our students with the skills, confidence, experience and ambition to succeed so they can look forward to a bright and rewarding future. Through our STEM Futures Programme and Vocational and Technical Skills Centre, we are working to ensure that our young people become problemsolvers, innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs who are self-reliant and able to think logically, add value and meet the needs of employers or indeed, aspire to go into business for themselves. Ian Lavery, MP for Wansbeck endorses the project, he said: Whilst we all wish that the Smelter had remained open providing jobs and economic benefits for our local communities, the reality is that it has now closed. I warmly welcome the Rio Tinto Legacy Initiative, which is focussed on providing support for the local community and I am absolutely delighted that the Ashington Learning Partnership will be one of the first beneficiaries receiving 65,000. This generous donation will enable the Learning Partnership to deliver their STEM Programme and will also fund a new Vocational and Skills Centre. Both will be a tremendous benefit for learners and for our communities. The Ashington Learning Partnership is a Trust of five schools in South East Northumberland with a pupil population of over 3,000 learners comprising of Central First and Wansbeck First Schools with Primary learners to Year 4, Bothal Middle and Hirst Park Middle Schools with Primary and Secondary learners to Year 8 and Ashington High School with Secondary learners up to Year 13. Trevor Swann replaces Ken Tonge as director of the Ashington Learning Partnership. Trevor has spent his career within the education sector, firstly as a mathematics and science teacher in secondary schools in Bradford before moving to North Tyneside in 1987. He was headteacher of Wideopen Middle School then Greenfields Community Primary School until 1998 when he was appointed as one of Her Majestys Inspectors of Schools (HMI). Since then Trevor has worked in the public and private sectors to provide specialist educational advice to improve and develop new schools and academies across the country. Ends Photo caption: Trevor Swann, director of strategy and standards at the Ashington Learning Partnership and John McCabe, Rio Tinto Alcan regional economic development director at Bothal Middle School, Ashington. Media Contacts:

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Anna Graham or Amy Maughan, Bradley OMahoney Public Relations Tel: 0191 265 8803 Email: annagraham@bradleyomahoney.co.uk / amymaughan@bradleyomahoney.co.uk Websites: www.riotinto.com www.riotinto.com/riotintoalcan About Rio Tinto Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.