LAUSANNE, Switzerland, December 22, 2010 – Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) and the Russian nonprofit Centre for Non-Governmental Organizations’ Development announced today the continuation of an agreement initiated in 2009 for the funding of a charitable program to improve  two technical colleges in St. Petersburg and five technical colleges in the Leningrad region, where  Philip Morris’ Izhora factory is located.

PMI’s grant will be used to transform these technical schools into centers of manufacturing excellence by upgrading and modernizing classroom facilities and purchasing modern equipment to replace out-dated machinery. In addition, Philip Morris Izhora will provide promising students with a factory internship program and offer available full-time entry-level positions to the best graduates of the colleges in 2011. Philip Morris Izhora employees will also volunteer their time to provide technical training to teachers and students at the schools.

In describing the vocational school improvement program, Nicolas Floros, Director Operations Russia said: “Our program aims to improve professional vocational education by upgrading and modernizing the overall level of technical training and providing local talented students with scholarships.”

Rashid Ismagilov, Vice-Governor of the Leningrad region said: “The Leningrad Region is a manufacturing center for many large companies in Russia. These companies need talented and well educated technicians but unfortunately the equipment and training currently available in vocational schools have not kept pace with the changes in manufacturing technology. This program will help to ensure that our vocational schools both attract talented students and give them the training they need in modern manufacturing.”

This support program for technical schools in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region was initiated by PMI in 2009 with an initial grant to purchase new machinery for 6 technical schools in the area along with scholarships and teaching grants for students and teachers at the selected schools. More than 1000 students per year benefit from the program.

About Centre for Non-Governmental Organizations’ Development

Centre for Non-government Organizations Development was established in 1994 to promote corporate responsibility and charity in Russia, and to provide assistance and support to NGOs. This organization administers charitable projects aimed at assisting socially vulnerable groups with support from leading local and international companies.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the leading international tobacco company, with seven of the world’s top 15 brands, including Marlboro, the number one cigarette brand worldwide.  PMI’s products are sold in approximately 160 countries.  In 2009, the company held an estimated 15.4% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 26.0% excluding the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. 

Philip Morris International (PMI) supports charitable giving programs that address the most critical issues affecting communities where our employees live and work and where we source tobacco. Our giving is focused on areas which parallel five of the UN Millennium Development Goals: hunger and extreme poverty, education, rural living conditions, domestic violence and disaster relief.  Our charitable programs impact more than 3 million people around the globe each year, including educational initiatives that benefit more than 270,000 students and teachers. For more information, see www.pmi.com.

For more information please contact:
Philip Morris International:   Media Office/ media@pmi.com/ +41 58 242 4500

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.