Photo Courtesy of HBCU Premier Sports/Twitter
PUMA announced they’re teaming up with Clark Atlanta University through a $1 million partnership for the next five years to bring awareness to students and help them discover a possible career in the sports apparel industry.
The program prepares students for roles in the industry through internships, research projects, scholarships, career prep, and customized curriculums.
From marketing and information technology to merchandising and supply chain management, students will explore the various corners of the sports apparel industry. Furthermore, students will be part of a semester-long mentorship where they’ll be paired with employees and senior managers.
“It’s incredibly important to have partnerships like this because we want to ensure within our industry that we are giving access to these students, and we know that in order for them to have access, they have to have the skills and they have to have the resources to be able to enter into our field,” Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for PUMA North America, Michelle Marshall, said to Cassius.
Marshall continued, “So this partnership will allow us to work with the students, mentor the students, provide scholarships to the students to ensure that we are building those relationships and really building awareness with them around all the incredible opportunities within our industry.”
Clark Atlanta University stood out to PUMA during their research because the school had a strong fashion merchandising program.
Clark Atlanta University President, George French Jr., stated that the partnership with PUMA would introduce the school to the world.
“Since its inception, Clark Atlanta University has cultivated a spirit of graduates that have gone to make impactful change, establishing their own legacies,” French Jr. said. “We are thrilled to partner with PUMA, amplifying the opportunities available to the next generation of changemakers at Clark Atlanta University.”
Marshall added how important it was for corporations doing business with Ivy League schools or other predominantly white institutions to keep the same energy and spend the same money when partnering with HBCUs.