Huawei holds opening ceremony for its ‘Seeds for the Future’ program
In partnership with the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs
KUWAIT: Huawei Technologies, a leading global ICT solutions provider, held yesterday the official opening ceremony of its groundbreaking national educational program ‘Seeds for the Future’. The talent program, held in Kuwait for four consecutive years, was launched in a strategic partnership with the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs. The program will enable 10 exceptional thinkers from universities across Kuwait and the world to participate in an educational ICT trip to China for 14 days to receive cutting-edge technology training in a cross-cultural environment.
The program aims to advance ICT skills among Kuwaitis and empower them to be at the forefront of innovation by bridging the gap between academic knowledge and hands-on experience acquired at Huawei’s own state of the art technology labs, research and development center and practical training facilities at Huawei Headquarters in Shenzhen, China. They will benefit from interactions with Huawei staff and live demonstrations of the latest technologies such as 5G, big data and cloud computing.
Investment Commenting on this year’s program, Mohamad Diab, Huawei Technologies Kuwait General Manager of Sales and Business Development stated: “Seeds for the Future is an investment in our common future. ICT skills are an enabler of the economic transformation that Kuwait is seeking to deliver and we remain committed to working hand in hand with the government, public authorities, industry partners and other stakeholders to instill world-class ICT skills in the local community. I thank the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs for their ongoing support as we collaboratively work to unleash the potential of the Kuwaiti youth and empower the next generation leaders.”
Also commenting on ‘Seeds for the Future,’ Shafiq Al-Sayed Omar, Assistant Undersecretary of the Youth Projects Sector at the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs said: “This partnership comes within the framework of the agreement signed with Huawei Technologies earlier this year, aimed to contribute in putting Kuwait on the global map of talent, enhance local ICT expertise and create an innovative overall environment, in line with the Ministry’s vision. It is imperative that we strengthen the role of the public and private sector to create benefits for Kuwaiti young men and women.”
He added: “We are delighted to partner up with Huawei on such a forward thinking educational program that I am confident would serve as an impetus for skills-building, knowledge transfers and career development. We welcome industry initiatives that help shape the future of the Kuwaiti youth and wish the participating students every success as they embark on such an exceptional educational and professional journey.” Omar stressed that the Ministry applies an open door policy, actively building bridges with the private sector to ensure the empowerment of the Kuwaiti youth.
Training
The opening ceremony, attended by senior officials from the Ministry of State for Youth Affairs, media representatives and senior Huawei executives, saw the selected students kick off their ICT training experience at Huawei Innovation and Training Center. Their educational journey will be followed by a trip to Beijing from 30 October to 13 November 2017 to immerse into the Chinese language and culture before heading off to Huawei’s HQ in Shenzhen, where they will learn about the latest innovative technologies, including cloud computing, Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Big Data, and Internet ofThings (IoT).
‘Seeds for the Future’ is open to high achieving recent graduates or senior Kuwaiti students in Engineering, Business, Finance, Accounting and Economics who have a GPA score of 3.0. or above. The selection process was conducted through a toss. The shortlisted candidates underwent interviews with the Huawei Team of Judges to select the brightest minds who will become the leaders of innovation of tomorrow.
‘Seeds for the Future’ is Huawei’s flagship global CSR program that aims at driving innovation and social impact through education. Since its inception in 2008, the program has offered training programs to more than 3,000 students globally and has facilitated knowledge transfer with over 100 partnerships with universities from around the globe. This year alone, the program will see 1,000 students from 95 different countries travel to China to learn about the latest innovations, participate in start-up activities and network with world-class ICT practitioners as we enter a new digital era.