HSBC has join hands with School of Leadership Foundation (SoLF) to initiate its Future First project, 'Empowerment for Life'. The project will be executed in major cities of Pakistan namely; Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Multan, Sukkur, Shikarpur and Faisalabad, in the first quarter of the year. The project draws on a collaborative approach and engages over 30 youth development experts and will positively impact over 15,000 individuals directly.
The project, according to details available here is divided into three modules which will run simultaneously. The first module, 'Unemployed to Employed', will reach around 7,000 professional students benefiting those who struggle with finding suitable jobs and competing with foreign graduates once they enter the job market. The second module, 'Multiply your Business', focuses on small-scale vendors with lack of knowledge on expanding and serving the larger markets. These small-scale vendors from Zainab Market, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Uzma Centre and various other shopping arcades based in Karachi will be mentored by established businessmen. The objective of this is to share multiple expansion opportunities and strategies and to develop an urge to undertake the business risk.
'Think & Work globally' - the third module helps explore freelance opportunities for those eager to work from home in a global market place. The workshop will guide these individuals to market their capacity globally as freelancers. Acting CEO of HSBC Pakistan, Syed Farhan Ahmed said, "Empowerment for Life is about creating opportunities and empowering individuals with tools to thrive in a complex and competitive market with global outreach. This project is part of the HSBC Group funded 'Future First' programme that focuses on providing access to education and life skills training to individuals."
Umair Jaliawala, President of SoLF working in the area of human capital development said: "ELF is a remarkable initiative undertaken by HSBC's, Future First project and works across the board to create economic sustainability which not only positively impacts the individual but, also the economy of the county."
HSBC is the largest and most widely represented international banking organisation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a presence in 14 countries across the region. HSBC has operations in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Algeria and the Palestinian Autonomous Area. In Saudi Arabia, HSBC is a 40 percent shareholder of Saudi British Bank (SABB), and a 49 percent shareholder of HSBC Saudi Arabia for investment banking in the Kingdom. In Iraq, HSBC holds a majority shareholding in Dar Es Salaam Investment Bank. HSBC also maintains a representative office in Libya.
This presence, the widest reach of any bank in the region, comprises some 295 offices and around 12,000 employees. In the three quarters of the year ended on September 30, 2012, HSBC in the MENA region made a profit before tax of US $1,048m.-PR