The president of the Brazilian energy company Petrobras is in New York to pick up an award for the firm's commitment to supporting educational projects across Latin America.

Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo is due to receive the Education Leadership Award from the World Education and Development Fund (Worldfund) for Petrobras' long-standing educational initiatives across the continent.

Through its Petrobras University and Resource and Development Centre, the semi-public company educates its own workers, allowing them to gain qualifications within the oil and gas industry, while also working towards technological innovation.

Furthermore, its Petrobras Development and Citizenship initiative has worked to address issues of inequality and combat poverty and poor education levels in the regions where it works, including a number of sites across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.

At the same time, it is expected that Mr Gabrielli de Azevado will use the opportunity of his trip to the US city to outline the company's investment plans and its oil and gas production expansion aims, both within Brazil and abroad.

Last year's recipient of the Education Leadership Award was Jeffrey Immelt, the president of General Electric.