Rio Tinto has signed an agreement with the National University of Mongolia to help better develop its faculty and resources.

“Through this [memorandum of understanding], we will help the university build up its teaching and research capacity with a speakers series, and support education and training of the Mongolian workforce with scholarships, internships, and the latest educational resource materials,” said Cameron McRae, Rio Tinto chief executive officer, and country director to Mongolia.

“In turn, the University will support education initiatives to increase public awareness of responsible mining and help train our employees by providing short-term courses and other activities.”

Rio sponsored a program to allow Nobel Prize winners to speak at the university. It also worked with the university's School of Economic Studies on an Economic Impact Assessment for Oyu Tolgoi. Rio has a few projects in place to expand the opportunities available to Mongolians for higher education and vocational training, and has spent about MNT 110 billion towards this cause. Rio is responsible for Mongolia’s largest vocational programs ever and it has established two major universities in Nalaikh and Dalanzadgad. The miner is also helping to develop vocational training schools in five of Mongolia's provincial capitals.

McRae concluded his remarks with a few words on the importance Rio places in its relationships with Mongolia's top universities to develop a well educated populace.