Virtual graduation ceremony for PepsiCo-Amal youth programme hosted

ISLAMABAD: PepsiCo Pakistan Thursday hosted a virtual graduation ceremony for 1,600 fellows of the PepsiCo-Amal youth programme. The graduating cohort has a 40 percent female participation and has representation from 135 towns and villages across Pakistan.

The speakers at the ceremony were Furqan Ahmed Syed, CEO PepsiCo Pakistan and Afghanistan, Benje Williams, Co-Founder Amal Academy, Ali Siddiq the CEO of Amal Academy, and Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister of Science and Technology.

Jaqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen was the keynote speaker at the ceremony. University graduates in Pakistan have immense potential; however, their transition from students to working professionals is often challenged by their lack of skill sets critical to acquiring meaningful jobs.

Additionally, students are not always familiar with the career opportunities that are available to them. As a result, they often struggle to transition from their academic life to a working career.

PepsiCo has partnered with Amal Academy - an education start-up to fill this gap by providing professional skills to university graduates so they can realize their potential and launch into meaningful careers.

The program focuses on a wide variety of skills.

A total of 3,000 students have graduated from the programme. The initiative has partnered with 16 universities and with the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC).

Speaking at the ceremony, Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister of Science and Technology commented, "I want to congratulate the 1,600 fellows graduating today. I want to wish them luck and would encourage them to pursue their passions. I also want to commend PepsiCo and Amal Academy on this important collaboration."

In his remarks, Furqan Ahmed Syed, CEO PepsiCo Pakistan and Afghanistan commented, "The PepsiCo - Amal Youth programme lends itself to great opportunities for the youth of Pakistan. Our fellows graduating today are extremely passionate, motivated and keen to prove themselves. I am very excited to see what they will achieve for themselves and for the country."

Ali Siddiq, CEO Amal Academy in his address said, "Amal Academy is committed to helping the youth of Pakistan and the Pakistani education system reach its full potential. With PepsiCo's support, we hope to further expand the programme and benefit more young people going forward."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020