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Amal Career-Prep Fellowship

The 3-month long Amal Career-Prep Fellowship is a professional development program to help our youth develop the resilience, positive attitude, and skills needed for a successful career and life. We follow a blended learning mode which combines online courses (Teachable), project works (Google Classroom), and activity based online sessions.

Watch the videos below to see some highlights of the fellowship experience and read the FAQs for further specific details.

What You Get?

Fellows’ Skills Growth

Overall Growth 100%
English Communication 87%
Career Planning 100%
Interviewing​ 100%
Public Speaking 100%
Confidence​ 87%
Lifelong Learning 100%

Job Offer Rate

Monthly Household Income

Frequently Asked Questions

Fellowship Introduction

The Amal Career-Prep Fellowship is a three-month soft-skills and leadership development program designed for 3rd/final year university students and recent graduates stepping into their professional lives; primarily those seeking jobs, internships, or entrepreneurship. This program helps bridge the gap between industry and academia through an experiential learning model aiming to develop the mindsets (purpose, self-efficacy, resilience, etc.) and job skills (confidence, time-management, teamwork, resume-writing, interviewing etc.) required for professional success.

With the advent of COVID-19, the economy and job market has gotten tougher and more uncertain. This has actually created a stronger need for the Career-Prep Fellowship – to ensure that the youth is empowered with the skills and mindsets they need to deal with adversity, facing new challenges in the economy and essentially emerging stronger.

The Career-Prep Fellowship has been adapted to an online format to facilitate the need of the hour. Our Curriculum Team, including alumni from Stanford, Harvard, DAAD, Fulbright, LUMS, and TFP, have redesigned the program to keep the fun and engagement intact while helping Fellows discover themselves and develop life-long connections beyond their geographical boundaries. Our sessions are held through video-conferencing, and are supplemented with an array of interactive team-based projects that help implement the learning experience. The new curriculum also focuses on developing skills to help Fellows thrive in a digital environment, preparing them for a post COVID world.

The online Fellowship format has thrived and prospered, allowing us to reach a diverse group of individuals across Pakistan, adding 6,000+ graduates to the Amal impact sphere. We hope to maintain the momentum of this enthusiasm beyond boundaries and limitations and we are keen to see how this impact scales across the country!

 

According to a survey by Naqeebz Consulting of over 159 companies in Pakistan, over 75% of employers are not satisfied with the skill level of the job candidates that apply for their companies. 79.5% of these companies require additional personal development of candidates, and 74.2% require soft skills. More specifically, these companies have identified the top skills that are required as:

  • verbal communication (83%)
  • positive attitude (72%)
  • team working (65%)
  • critical thinking (59%)
  • self-confidence (59%)
  • written communication (57%)
  • drive and flexibility (57%)
  • stress tolerance (47%)
  • adaptability (46%)
  • time management (46%)
  • self-awareness (45%)
  • planning and organising (45%)
  • integrity (44%)

During the Fellowship, we focus on developing these specific skills and abilities, so that our Fellows can be more competitive in the marketplace.

The Amal Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to develop lifelong skills that normally take several years to achieve on-the-job. These skills allow individuals to become leaders of their future. Additionally, Fellows have the opportunity to expand their networks and develop long lasting friendships.

To learn more about what skills and subjects we develop, you can see our full syllabus at amalacademy.org/syllabus.

We have trained more than 12,000 Amal Fellows over the past ten years with approximately 80% of job-seekers receiving employment offers within 3 months of completing this program. The key to their success is the hard work they have invested and their ability and willingness to apply the skills they developed with Amal.

No, we don’t promise job placement, however in the past, 80% of Amal Fellows have been able to secure job or internship offers within three months of completion of the program due to their hard work and by applying what they have learned in the Fellowship.

Fellowship Structure and Timeline

We have three Fellowship semesters every year, Spring, which typically starts in Feb/Mar, Summer which starts Jul/Aug, and Winter, which starts Nov/Dec.

Currently there are two versions of the Fellowship being offered. These include in-person (in select cities), and online (via Zoom). Both formats have proven hugely successful, with 80% job success rates across 6,200 online graduates and 5,400 in-person graduates! 

For details of venues for the in-person format, please take a look at our application form. You should select the version of the program that will maximize your chances to fully engage and attend all sessions of the Fellowship.

The Fellowship is currently being offered in two formats – In-person and Online. Spring 2024 in-person Fellowships will be held at various university campuses in Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Karachi. 

The Online Fellowships will be held via Zoom and are open to people from across Pakistan who have consistent access to a computer with webcam and a reliable internet connection. 

The application form allows you to indicate your preference for In-person or online format, however final placement will be based on which format will maximize your chances of attending and participating fully. Regardless of Online or In-person placement, Fellows are required to attend live interactive sessions with their batch twice a week over weekends (3 hours on each of Saturday and Sunday) and engage in group based activities and projects during the week, throughout the 3 month Fellowship program.

The Amal Fellowship is 3-months long, with live sessions held two days in a week (Sat and Sun), along with critical projects that help develop analytical business and professional skills such as leadership, teamwork, problem solving and communication.

The format is a blend between live interactive group sessions (65%) and project work (35%).

The group sessions are a combination of videos, class discussions, presentations, public speaking opportunities, role plays, case studies and competitive activities. The Amal Fellowship sessions are very different from the traditional lectures/classes that you might have attended in universities and are designed to make you the owner of your own learning experience.

The project work is a combination of online courses that have videos, interactive discussions, reflection questions and tasks. This is a critical part of the learning experience, as you cannot learn a skill without actually practicing that skill. This also gives each Fellow the chance to learn outside of the sessions, whenever the time is most convenient for them, and to develop an awareness of the topic/subject so that they can build on that knowledge during the fellowship session.

The weekly live sessions will be held on both Saturdays and Sundays for 3 hours each day. There will also be online courses, project-based work which will require another 8-10 hours during the week, including midweek group meetings. On average, you should be prepared to invest 12-15 hours a week into growing yourself through the Amal Fellowship.

The courses and sessions provide you with the knowledge and skills required to develop business and professional skills. The projects during the week are designed to apply the learning from session and online courses, practice and application being crucial. If ideas are not applied, they remain ideas; but if they are applied/practiced, then they become skills.

We require Fellows to have a laptop with webcam and microphone, and a fast and reliable internet connection for the Fellowship. We will not be able accommodate applicants who do not have consistent access to a computer; it is not possible to complete the Fellowship using just a smartphone.

Fellowship Fee

Admitted Fellows will be required to pay a total of Rs. 4,000 for the duration of the program. This is a one-time commitment fee, to be paid upon selection in the program. Applicants requiring financial assistance may request a discount at time of receiving the admission offer. The Fellowship actually costs Rs. 60,000 per Fellow, but this is covered thanks to gracious support from PepsiCo Foundation and other donors, playing a role in helping our youth reach their full potential to build a stronger Pakistan.

The Rs. 4,000 Commitment Fee is for the whole 3-month Fellowship program, whether you choose online or in-person, and you have to pay this fee upon selection. Details on how to pay the fee will be communicated to you once you receive the offer letter for the Fellowship.

No, this fee is non-refundable.

No, you will have to bear all costs associated with attending the Fellowship. The Fellowship itself is already significantly subsidized.

Selection Process

Please visit our website www.amalacademy.org and click on the red ‘Apply Now’ button at the top of the page. The application form is completely online and will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Note that if the application for next semester is not yet live, the ‘Apply Now’ button will allow you to enter your contact information for notification once applications are launched.

The selection process focuses on selecting those applicants who are committed to hard work and have the passion to focus on their personal and professional development. We prioritize applicants from public sector and tier 2/3 private universities as we have found these students to benefit the most from the Fellowship. We feel everyone has the potential to become great, but we focus on admitting those who need the Fellowship the most, and are really driven to succeed and willing to put in their 100% to achieve their goals.

Anyone who is in the last two years of university or has recently graduated is eligible for the Fellowship. We prioritize applicants who have plans to start their careers in the near future (job, internship, entrepreneurship).

In the past, we have not been able to select many applicants simply because we did not have enough space/capacity. However, we have been working hard to expand our partnerships with universities and the size of our team, so that we can support more Fellows, so we really encourage you to re-apply if you meet the eligibility criteria. To improve your chances of selection, please be sure to write detailed responses to the essay questions in the application, these questions help us get to know you better.

No, there are no charges to fill the application form. Once admitted you will be required to pay a non-refundable Commitment Fee of Rs. 4,000 to secure your place in the Fellowship.

We do not require any document at the time of application, however, once you are admitted to the fellowship, we will collect a copy of your CNIC and certain other documents for verification.

The Fellowship is generally available to people residing in Pakistan. While it may be possible to participate in the Online version of the Fellowship if you are living abroad, it is worth noting that our selection criteria prioritizes applicants from public sector and tier 2/3 private universities as we have found these students benefit the most from the Fellowship. If you decide to apply, please use your essay responses in the application to tell us how you will benefit from the Fellowship; this will increase your chances of selection.

The selection process comprises five steps

  1. Shortlisting: Applicants are shortlisted for an interview based on eligibility, need, and passion as indicated by your application responses (especially the essay). 
  2. Interview: Shortlisted applicants are invited to an online interview for a candid discussion to further explore their desire and motivation for the Fellowship.
  3. Selection Center: Those who clear the interview stage are invited to a Selection Center session (either online or in-person) to interact with other applicants in a collaborative exercise. This is an opportunity for applicants to get a feel for the real Fellowship sessions. It also provides more detail on the Fellowship format and structure.
  4. Accepting the Offer: Once you receive your offer, you will have 2-3 days to submit your Rs. 4,000 commitment fee to confirm your spot in the Fellowship.
 

The selection process can take up to 30-60 days after your application is submitted.

  1. Apply early – The sooner you apply, the greater your chances of selection.
  2. Get a recommendation from a supervisor, teacher, or even a senior; details on submitting a recommendation form are included in the application.
  3. In the application: Answer the essay questions genuinely, tell us about yourself and your background. Your responses to these questions play a crucial role in helping us understand how the Fellowship can help you. There is no right or wrong answer, and no minimum or maximum word limit. But please do write at least 2-3 sentences for each essay response so we can get a better sense of who you are. 
  4. Before your interview: Do some research on Amal Academy and the Fellowship, think about why you’re interested and what you’ll do to keep up with the workload. We want to see that you are committed to improving yourself. If you can think of any stories that showcase this commitment, or of a conversation with someone that convinced you to apply, please come prepared to talk about these. Better yet, also write about them in your application essay!
  5. For the selection group activities: Make sure to join on time, have your camera-on if joining online, pay attention, and ask questions when something is not clear.

Yes, you must fill out the full application form to be considered for admission. If you sign up while applications are closed, we record your contact details and send you an email notifying you once applications are open for the next semester.

Background of Amal Academy

Amal Academy is not a tuition center: we are an education venture with a vision of changing the education system in Pakistan in order to create lifelong learners, self-starters and problem solvers. To achieve this, our approach is to create a model platform – through our Career Prep Fellowship – that trains over 11,000 students and is eventually integrated into the public university system/curriculum.

Our core values, developed through stages of deliberation and critical analysis, aim to foster a  culture of:

  • EMPATHY: Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, practice active listening, expand your circle
  • CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Get out of your comfort zone, track lessons learned, stay informed
  • RELIABILITY: Be the most dependable person in the room, be committed to our cause
  • THINKING: Staying true to our mission and our first principle, focus on ideas rather than people
  • INTEGRITY: Be honest for the greater good, the power of communication

 

At Amal we seek to create a safe space for our team, fellows and the community to come together to learn and grow by cultivating grit, resilience and a growth mindset. We encourage conflict of ideas and debate exhibiting acceptance and a collaborative environment. There is a zero tolerance policy for hate speech, harassment and any other inappropriate/unethical behavior. The phrase “Amal family” fully embraces all past, present and future members!

The Fellowship was initially funded by Stanford University, with additional support from Acumen (US), Echoing Green (US), Montpelier Foundation (UK) and Peery Foundation (US). Additionally, we have also provided corporate training to different companies including Nestle, Arbisoft, INTECH, Bank Alfalah, Allied Bank, etc. in order to generate revenue and support our cost of operations. Currently, the bulk of Fellowship costs are graciously covered by PepsiCo Pakistan through the PepsiCo Foundation as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility focus on youth and women empowerment.

Amal Fellowship is built on the foundation of a very diverse, dedicated and committed team comprising graduates from Stanford, Notre Dame, Harvard, Acumen, Fulbright, LUMS, LSE and many others including Amal alumni. In addition to the team, we have a very strong network of advisors and mentors, such as Syed Babar Ali (Founder LUMS, Packages), Jacqueline Novogratz (CEO of Acumen), Chris Anderson (Curator of TED), Jawad Aslam (CEO of Ansaar Management Company), Dr. Kamran Shams (CEO of Punjab Education Endowment Fund), Yasser Bashir (CEO of Arbisoft), and others. Through their support, we are able to create the Amal Fellowship into the best experience for our Fellows.

The Program Managers and Associates are the ones who will be closely working with you during the course of the Fellowship and assisting you to reach your full potential. The Program Managers come from an average of 2-3 years of strong work experience and are graduates from US institutions through Fulbright programs, UK, Turkey and Pakistani institutions like LUMS, IBA, and LSE. In addition, the Fellowships could not be managed without the support of the Program Associates, who are Amal Fellowship alumni, and graduates from reputable institutions like PU, UET, GCU, NUML etc.

Amal Career-Prep Fellowship

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