480 get degree under programme for youth

Islamabad: Amal Academy, an education start-up founded out of Stanford University held their 14th graduation ceremony for over 480 university students at the Ali Institute of Education. The current programme is a pilot funded by PepsiCo as part of a $300,000 grant to train 1,000 university students, 35% women, through a professional technical and soft skills programme.

The event was attended by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar alongside Mehr Jaben Agha, Rector Ali Institute of Education and members of the Academia. Over a span of five years, Amal Academy has worked with over 3,200 students on developing their employability and life skills, that will lead them to more meaningful careers.

Benje Williams, founder of Amal Academy, congratulated the graduating fellows and Amal team, and thanked PepsiCo, governor and vice chancellors for their vision and support. Addressing on the occasion he said “this is the beginning of a journey of lifelong learning and you have an entire community of support as evident by the individuals and institutions here today. Let us all work together to help make Pakistan the place we want it to be, let’s build a better country and a better world.”

Hatim Khan, director corporate affairs, Pepsico spoke about the company’s vision and its implementation. ‘Purpose is at the heart of everything we do at PepsiCo. We are proud to support Amal Academy and align ourselves with the Pakistan government’s priority to create jobs for our youth. Our “Winning with Purpose” vision ensures that we are always grounded in our commitment to do good for the planet and our communities.’

While speaking at the event, Punjab governor talked about the importance of such institutions in uplifting the education system in Pakistan by saying, “For students to be competitive in the job market, learning professional skills are as critical as learning technical skills from the university. We are happy to see PepsiCo partner with Amal Academy to equip university students with the skills needed to improve their chances of securing jobs.”