PRESS RELEASE: At a signing ceremony at AusIMM offices in Melbourne, Australia, Rio Tinto confirmed it will invest A$400,000 a year until 2020 to provide employees with extensive professional development and external accreditation opportunities through AusIMM.

Around 300 Rio Tinto employees are currently active members of the AusIMM, and under the new agreement 500 more employees across the group will be able to take up membership.

One hundred will also be eligible for chartered professional status, and 50 will have the opportunity to become fellows of AusIMM.

The partnership will also provide Rio Tinto access to future talent through the AusIMM new leaders’ conference and preferential access to the AusIMM scholarship and education endowment fund recipients.

It will build engagement and inclusion with Rio Tinto becoming more involved in the AusIMM Women in Mining national conference ‘Achieve and Inspire’, the AusIMM Women in Mining network and recognition as an AusIMM national diversity partner.

AusIMM currently represents 13,000 people across 100 countries working in the resources industry.