AGL Loy Yang has announced a three year partnership with The Smith Family Gippsland to support an innovative education program at Kurnai College campuses in Morwell and Churchill.

AGL Loy Yang will provide more than $75,000 over the next three years to the Kurnai Education Hub pilot project which aims to build community and parental engagement at Kurnai to support its students.

The hub will encompass a number of programs aimed at improving literacy and numeracy at the school, increasing the retention of students to Year 12 or equivalent and building students' confidence and awareness of future pathways.

Anthony Fowler, AGL's Group General Manager of Merchant Energy said the partnership extended AGL's national corporate responsibility program, Energy for Life, through Loy Yang's Community Support Program.

"In early 2012, AGL launched its revamped Energy for Life community program to focus on building partnerships with those organisations such as The Smith Family, who are dedicated to providing long-term support to families experiencing financial hardship.

"Prevention, education and resource and capacity building are pillars of AGL's Energy for Life program and the Kurnai Education Hub project clearly supports these aims.

"We are proud to be the first corporate partner of the Hub and pleased to have the opportunity to support the development of Latrobe Valley students."

"AGL is committed to supporting and engaging with the communities in which we operate. Loy Yang has a long standing Community Support Program which has invested more than one million dollar in the Latrobe Valley in the last decade," said Mr Fowler.

Under The Smith Family partnership AGL Loy Yang will also host career days, work experience opportunities and associated site visits to provide students with Access to AGL people and their experiences.

The program also includes funding for two students from the local area to receive sponsorships from The Smith Family, to support their tertiary education.

The Smith Family's Victorian General Manager Heather Le Roy welcomed the company's support for the new Hub.

"The Kurnai Hub is creating stronger links between the school and the community, building long-term partnerships between agencies, government and the businesses of the Latrobe Valley. The families and students of the College will see the benefits that come from increased access to resources, services and opportunities. Through a coordinated approach, the project will help harness the significant goodwill and commitment of the Latrobe Valley towards its youth."

In June AGL Energy Limited acquired full ownership of Loy Yang power station and mine, which is Victoria's largest power station and supplies approximately one third of the state's electricity requirements.

About AGL

AGL is one of Australia's leading integrated renewable energy companies and is taking action toward creating a sustainable energy future for our investors, communities and customers. Drawing on 175 years of experience, AGL operates retail and merchant energy businesses, power generation assets and an upstream gas portfolio. AGL has one of Australia's largest retail energy and dual fuel customer bases. AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants, spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro, wind, landfill gas and biomass. AGL is Australia's largest private owner and operator of renewable energy assets and is looking to further expand this position by exploring a suite of low emission and renewable energy generation development opportunities.