The signings were witnessed by the Prime Minister and Sarawak Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Another significant MoU was signed with the Sarawak Skills Development Centre (PPKS) to develop partnerships that would provide training and employment opportunities for Malaysian nationals at the SALCO smelter.

Under the MoU, PPKS will be one of the lead institutions that will undertake the development of an integrated learning strategy, identify training needs for each stage of the smelter project and conduct studies to identify training needs, issues and learning infrastructure. Rio Tinto Alcan and CMS will provide information to assist in identifying the skills sets and competencies that will be required by employees and contractors in the project.

Commenting on the MoU, Haji Baharudin Abdullah, CEO of PPKS, said the educational institution was excited about working with a global entity like Rio Tinto Alcan in the area of human capital development, especially in Sarawak.

“We see this as a great opportunity for Malaysians to develop skills and vocational education in a new industry like aluminium smelters and the related activities. SALCO will do the recruitment while PPKS will conduct some of the training for a two to three year programme. Rio Tinto Alcan with its global expertise can play a significant role in this respect,” said Haji Baharudin.

Rio Tinto Alcan’s General Manager Smelter Project Development Matt Liddy, who is based in Kuching, added that SALCO was focused on contributing to the local and business community of Sarawak and Malaysia, and the training and skills development programmes are the right steps forward.

The proposed smelter would have an initial production capacity of 550,000 tonnes per year, with the capability to be expanded to 1.5 million tonnes. First production from the smelter is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2010. Up to 1,200 direct jobs are expected to be created by the SALCO smelter, with a further 3,500 indirect jobs in a variety of supporting services and businesses.