HSBC together with Microsoft Sri Lanka have renewed their commitment to provide information technology training to young people in several parts of the country, through the Unlimited Potential Partnership (UPP) programme, according to an HSBC statement.
Under this HSBC and Microsoft, aims to empower young people with the provision of IT scholarships to follow courses that focus on many sectors such as apparel, hotel and tourism, and agriculture in helping them become more employable.
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| Picture shows Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd accepting the sponsorship token from Nick Nicolaou, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives in the presence of Dr. Bandu Ranasinghe,Chairman, IDM Affiliated Campus and representatives from USAID and Infoshare. |
“As part of their commitment to meet this need of the nation, HSBC will provide the necessary funds to enable the learning process, whilst Microsoft will be providing expertise, software and the curriculum to enhance the longevity of the project,” the statement said.
The bank will part fund 500 scholarships for young people in the Eastern, Northern/North Central/ North Western, Western and Southern Provinces amounting to Rs 2.4 million. The training will be facilitated through IDM, the implementing partner who will contribute 25% of the total cost and conduct training sessions via its training centres in these areas.
Speaking on the project, Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Country Manager, Microsoft Sri Lanka said, “It is imperative that multinationals like ours take on the responsibility of providing guidance and knowhow to improve the lives of these young people who are the future of our nation. Our Unlimited Potential Partnerships is the perfect platform to engage youth and mobilize them towards sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods.”
Nick Nicolaou, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives said, “As an ongoing commitment, we are pleased to partner with Microsoft for the second time and this time, to provide job oriented IT based scholarships to young people, for better employment prospects in a competitive job market. As education has been a major thrust in our global Corporate Sustainability efforts, we see this as a perfect fit in addressing the greater need of the country. “
The UPP ICT training programme targets workforce development in the apparel, media, hotel and tourism, and agriculture industries and features basic and customized curricula designed to strengthen the employability of young people and adults in disadvantaged communities, as well as improve the availability of workers with ICT skills. By offering the programme, study centres address the need for relevant skills training, strengthen the capacities of existing courses and help improve student employability. |
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