Huawei’s Seeds for the Future programme draws future ICT talents
30 Dec 2021
Seeds for the Future, Huawei’s global corporate social responsibility programme to develop digital talents, has received encouraging participation from public universities and private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia.
The programme aims to develop skilled, local information and communication technologies (ICT) talents and bridge communication between countries and cultures while encouraging participation in the digital community.
Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications Rita Irina Abdul Wahab said since its inception in 2014, the number of applications had been increasing year-to-year with 41 applications received this year.
“However, only 20 applicants were selected based on a stringent selection process involving the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Huawei, Fellows from MOHE’s CEO Faculty 2.0 Programme and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC),” she told Bernama in an interview here.
This year, applications from public universities include students from Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMap), while applications from the private institutions comprise students from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College, she said.
The programme in Malaysia spanned 10 days, inclusive of social activities and online programmes including eight days of training, comprising 15 hours of mandatory live-stream sessions plus three hours mandatory pre-recorded courses as well as a “Tech4Good” group project.
At the same time, the project aims to build problem-solving and leadership skills through teamwork where participants are also provided with a mentor to provide the necessary support and guidance.
This year’s Seeds for the Future participants were divided into two groups, with one group tackling issues on traffic congestion, while the other looked at issues on job employability.
“We are proud to say that our ‘Seeds’ from Malaysia emerged the winner in the Tech4Good category, triumphing over participants from three other countries,” said Rita Irina.
The other courses in the programme this year focused on organisational skills such as leadership, cross-cultural exchanges and also China Insight – a virtual tour to experience the traditional and modern China such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Huawei Ox Horn Campus.
Rita Irina said in the short term, the global exposure acquired from a leading ICT giant like Huawei that is present in over 170 countries and regions as well as the ICT knowledge acquired during the programme will stand the participants in good stead when they venture into the job market.
In the long term, the skills and exposure the participants are exposed to are designed to inculcate teamwork and problem-solving abilities while the advanced technological knowledge and cross-cultural experiences acquired will help them contribute to the progress of the nation’s and ultimately, the global, ICT industry.
Other than that, Huawei Malaysia, through the Huawei ASEAN Academy, has worked closely with notable Malaysian corporations and government agencies to provide a clear path in digitalisation programmes, as well as in empowering digital talents across various businesses and technology sectors, she said.
“It aims to develop 50,000 ICT talents in five years, in addition to enriching the supply of industry talents and improving the quality of professional talents.
“Building an agile and competent digital talent pool in Malaysia is imperative in making Malaysia the ASEAN Digital Hub and greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial in making this a reality,” Rita Irina said.
Meanwhile, Higher Education Department Director of Industry and Community Collaboration Division Datuk Mohd Sharil Abdullah said MOHE has partnered with Huawei to promote and co-host the Seeds for the Future programme.
He said the ministry supported the programme through engagement with universities, input for programme content, Seeds selection and overall facilitation.
“The participants also stand to benefit from the experience of other “Seeds” of the programme.
“They are a part of the Seeds alumni where a good networking platform is provided for conversations between alumni and current participants.
“This allows the participants to receive invaluable feedback and advice from the Seeds of the Future alumni who are trained on latest technologies and familiar with Huawei’s business and global strategy,” Mohd Sharil said.
Source: Bernama
