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Uniqlo's parent company, Fast Retailing, announced that it has selected an initial group of promising students for its pioneering programme to help them become global leaders of tomorrow.

The company is partnering with the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) to create the Fast Retailing Educational Sponsorship Programme for students with high potential who seek financial assistance. With an overwhelmingly positive response from the students and their parents, it also announces it will open the next batch of applications as soon as possible.

IIIT-D students are signing up for the induction programme.

The educational sponsorship programme will be funded by the Company and cover full tuition and related costs for a total of five freshman students a year, covering either a full four-year period for bachelor's degree students or a two-year period for master's degree students.

For the first year of the programme, the five qualified students are all pursuing undergraduate degrees. In addition to financial sponsorship, they will also be able to participate in Japanese language and culture studies and to intern at Uniqlo India. Candidates who satisfy certain requirements will also be eligible to join Fast Retailing in Japan or Uniqlo in India to help leverage the skills they develop during their studies.

"I really appreciate this amazing opportunity given to me," said Aryamann Mishra, a 3rd semester student at IIIT-Delhi. "It has changed my life in ways more than one," he continued, "Moreover, it gives me a sense of pride and achievement, which has made me a more confident person and a better student."

Talking about the sponsorship programme, Shivaansh Mital's parents said: "As with any other parent, we also expect the best for our son's future. Apart from being a person with a technical background, he will also be able to nurture his management and leadership skills, thereby carving an all-rounded personality. This will go a long way in making him an individual who would be indispensable to any organisation."

"From the very beginning when UNIQLO entered India, we committed not only to expanding our retail business and upgrading production activities here, but also to cultivating and helping young talented individuals to become business leaders on the global stage," said Noriaki Koyama, Group Executive Vice President of Fast Retailing in charge of the educational sponsorship program. "Today marks another milestone for us towards delivering on our promises, and we will continue to invest in the young generation here to help them pursue their dreams and make the world a better place," he said.

Commenting on the partnership, Professor Ranjan Bose, Director, IIIT-Delhi said, "I am happy to see that the partnership between IIIT-D and Fast Retailing is growing at a healthy pace. IIIT-D takes pride in developing strong linkages with the industry. This partnership provides further impetus to our vision of being socially relevant, industry-facing, and globally connected."

Through this initiative, Fast Retailing is further demonstrating its commitment to Indian society after opening a production office in September 2016, its first Uniqlo store in Delhi in October 2019, and officially launching its e-commerce business in India earlier this year. The company is an active recruiter in India. Students from IIIT-Delhi and other top universities in engineering and technology education, were among Indian graduates to join the company's global headquarters in Tokyo starting from 2019.

The latest initiative is also part of a global commitment by Fast Retailing, through the Fast Retailing Foundation, to offer educational programs for young individuals to pursue a career in particular areas of interest. Among them are the Global Graduate Fashion Scholarship for talented students to study at world-class fashion graduate schools, and the Harvard Business School Scholarship, which provides educational opportunities to Japanese students.