NLMK Group, a leading Russian steel company, and WorldSkills Russia (WSR), an initiative backed by the Ministries of Education and Labour of the Russian Federation; and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at developing the talent pool available to the company and the industry as a whole.

The parties have combined their efforts in order to implement advanced solutions for company staff development and personnel retraining programs to bring them in line with modern international standards. The joint work will promote the development of innovative education technologies in colleges supported by NLMK such as the Lipetsk Metallurgical College. Cooperation will also cover issues of career guidance for youth and creating the necessary conditions for ensuring the mobility of young personnel.

Stanislav Tsyrlin, NLMK Vice President for HR & Management System, said:

“This agreement will promote the development of NLMK Group’s professional development programs, taking them to a new level of quality. From the beginning of 2014, almost 37,000 people (approximately 65% of the employees) went through professional training and development at the Group’s Russian assets alone. Over the last five years, we have invested in excess of RUB 670 million into professional education programs. The fact that we are joining efforts with WorldSkills Russia shows that the state is interested in supporting business’ educational initiatives.”

Developing conditions for efficient work is a strategic goal of NLMK Group. Alongside implementing the principle of continuing education, NLMK is managing a number of employee training programs together with educational establishments. NLMK is funding a comprehensive career guidance initiative; activities to improve the skills of academic staff at higher education institutions and the quality of education; new programs and scholarships for students; as well as bonuses for teaching staff.

NLMK’s cooperation with colleges and universities is highly regarded by the state and the expert community. For example, a joint project of NLMK Group’s Novolipetsk and the affiliated Lipetsk State Technical University won an open contest organized by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science for a state grant to implement projects aimed at training highly-qualified personnel for companies of the Lipetsk region.

In 2014, a team of young workers from Novolipetsk, NLMK Group’s main company, were awarded the silver medal in the “mechatronics” category at WorldSkills Hi-Tech, the first national championship of cross-industry hi-tech professions held in Yekaterinburg.

About WorldSkills

In 2012, Russia officially became the 60^th member of WorldSkills International(WSI).

WSI is an international movement aimed at promoting blue-collar professions; improving the status and standards of professional training and skills around the world. WSI appeared in 1946 due to the need for exchange of technologies and professional skills between countries aiming to recover quickly after the Second World War. Currently, WSI has 72 member countries.

About NLMK Group

NLMK Group is a vertically integrated steel company and Russia’s leading steel maker and manufacturer of rolled products with high added value. NLMK’s high-quality metal products are used in various industries, from construction and engineering to the manufacture of power-generating equipment and offshore wind turbines.

NLMK's production assets are located in Russia, Europe, and the United States. The Company’s liquid steel production capacity is over 17 million tonnes per year, of which about 16 million tonnes are produced in Russia.

NLMK has the most competitive cash cost among global manufacturers; and one of the highest profitability levels in the sector. During the first six months of 2014, the company generated $5.4 billion in revenue; $1,1 billion in EBITDA; and a net profit of $332 million.

NLMK’s ordinary shares are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MICEX-RTS, ticker symbol: NLMK), and its global depositary shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: NLMK:LI).

For more information about NLMK Group, please visit www.nlmk.com.

Media contact info:
Sergey Babichenko
+7 (916) 824 6743
babichenko_sy@nlmk.com

Investor contact info:
Sergey Takhiev
+7 (495) 915 1575
tahiev_sa@nlmk.com