Daily Times

PepsiCo and Amal Academy celebrated the 10th anniversary and the graduation 10,000 Fellows from the Amal Career Prep program on Tuesday.

The program has been supported by the PepsiCo Foundation since 2018, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo and is focused on supporting Pakistan’s youth to acquire essential soft skills to enhance their professional grooming. This prepares them for the competitive job market and to initiate entrepreneurial ventures.

AmalAcademy has empowered 10,000 fellows from over 130+ universities who have participated in the program in the last decade. Amal Academy has active relationships and outreach at 24+ partner universities where students have benefitted from the intensive trainings designed to empower the next generation of changemakers. 88% job-seeking alumni have received employment offers or started businesses, with 62% Fellows who found employment reporting increase in average household income. Graduates have also shown 63% improvement in skills, including 72% improvement in initiative-taking, 81% in interviewing, and 60% in confidence and problem-solving. Apart from getting lucrative jobs, many fellows have led 1137 social impact/entrepreneurial projects. The overall impact shows that there are 115,000+ indirect beneficiaries, including new jobs created by graduates’ entrepreneurial ventures.

The event was attended by prominent guests from academia as well as industry and business streams from across Pakistan. Dr Amjad Saqib, the founder and Managing Director of Akhuwat who is one of Pakistan’s most respected philanthropists, was also present at the occasion. A high-level thought-leadership panel discussion also took place which further highlighted the need for rigorous development of mechanisms that empower talented youth of the country to become competitive in the national and international professional arenas. The focus of the discussion was also on building holistic and lasting professional networks that can be used to leverage the surplus of talent that exists in the country.

Speaking at the occasion, Ali Siddiq, CEO of Amal Academy said, “We are thrilled to celebrate this remarkable milestone. The partnership with PepsiCo has galvanized our mission and enriched the way in which we support our Fellows.” Anum Pasha, Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at PepsiCo, added, “PepsiCo is committed to doing good for the communities we work with and in. We believe that by working together with Amal we have steadfastly created more equitable and prosperous opportunities for Pakistan’s youth.”