Sustainable Development > Community Engagement > Education & Training Education & Training |
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In 2007, we increased our support for education and training, from early childhood and primary school through high school and higher learning. In North America, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. invests more than $90,000 annually in scholarships in technical and mining-related fields through several partner organizations to provide higher education opportunities for deserving students and to build a future workforce. We invested another $1.2 million in occupational training in Arizona for students interested in pursuing a career in the trade services. The children of our domestic and international employees can also apply for scholarships through various programs provided through our corporate foundation or at various sites. We pledged our support to three new universities totaling $3 million to develop or enhance programs aimed at increasing the number of students pursuing degrees in the technical fields such as engineering, as well as increasing the quality of curriculum and research facilities. These included support for an endowed chair at the New Mexico Institute for Mining and Technology, a state-of-the-art water quality lab at New Mexico State University and a student outreach and curriculum enhancement program in the college of engineering at Northern Arizona University. With research demonstrating that investing a dollar now in early childhood care saves $17 later in remedial education and corrective efforts, early childhood education was also a focus. We partnered with several agencies in the state of Arizona to promote the best developmental care for children up to 5 years old. The goal is to aid communities, parents and caregivers in maximizing children’s readiness to start school and improving their educational success in the future. We also invested in science education for primary school students, including innovative science centers in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, with the goal of increasing understanding of the earth sciences and technology that supports sustainable development. We focused on primary schools and teachers through our “Mini Grants for Education” program, investing more than $75,000 in innovative classroom projects and materials to help teachers enhance their classroom resources for which funding is otherwise not available. Since the Mini-Grants program was initiated in 2005, nearly $200,000 has been awarded to support 406 projects. From a class field trip to the Highlands Center for Natural History in Prescott, Arizona, to a robotics club competition in Kremmling, Colorado, a family science night in Griswold, Connecticut, and a science olympiad competition in Silver City, New Mexico, the program is supporting teachers in enhancing the quality of education. In Copiapo, Chile, our Candelaria mine supports the operation of the Colegio San Lorenzo school. Originally built in part by Candelaria, the school began operating in 1991 with 216 elementary students at an Universidad de Atacama campus. The school has new, modern infrastructure after an investment of $1 million and hosts 761 elementary and high school students. In April 2006, the facility received the School Management Quality seal, given by Fundación Chile, becoming the first educational facility in Atacama to receive this recognition. Copper in the classroom Freeport-McMoRan is an active partner in supporting the quality of education from the primary through the post-secondary level. In addition to supporting many programs that improve the overall quality of education, Freeport-McMoRan and our educational partners provide resources for teachers and classrooms interested in learning more about copper, the mining process and other related topics. Through our "Copper: More Than A Metal" program, employees reach out to schools and teachers, volunteering their time to share information through classroom presentations about copper, its many uses in our modern society, as well as environmental responsibility, safety and careers in mining. The "Copper: More Than A Metal" program includes six modules that can be used together or individually:
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The Candelaria mine developed the “IluMina Project” to provide training on the daily use of information technology to more than 1,000 people in the small community of Tierra Amarilla. The project included the construction of a Community Information Center (with 12 work stations), free access to wireless Internet in the district’s urban area, the creation of an educational virtual community and the presentation of technology fairs.