Huawei Jamaica, which has been involved in the development of information and communication technology (ICT) talent for the past five years through its Seeds for the Future program, recently hosted a graduation ceremony in the presence of Juliet Holness, Member of Parliament and Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica Jian Qi for 29 young students from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology (UTech).
The eight-day online program included mandatory online courses, live streaming sessions, a “Tech4Good” project and unlimited access to explore Huawei, cutting-edge technologies, trending companies and cultural awareness. Speaking about his experience, UWI student Shamar Jones said it was pretty good.
“Overall, Seeds for the Future is an amazing program. It is an interactive and fun online experience that has broadened my knowledge about the subject of ICT and the impact Huawei has had in this industry. It also exceeded my expectations by allowing us to learn more than ICT. Thanks for the program, we were also introduced to other content such as Leadership Business and Traditional China, ”Jones said.
The Seeds for the Future program was successful with a 100 percent graduation rate with all students passing and passing all exams. They each received a graduation certificate from the Huawei Technologies program. Ten Jamaican students (including three from UWI and UTech) achieved exceptional performances as part of the Tech4Good project. The topic presented by this group of students was “Eco Clean Ja”, on improving waste collection in the country to promote a sanitary environment.
PARTICIPATE IN GLOBAL COMPETITION
The participating global class for this year consisted of a total of 112 students, from Ghana (58), Jamaica (29), Trinidad and Tobago (20) and Suriname (five). Huawei invited the winning team from each class to participate in the global competition. Through this project, Huawei’s goal is to increase social entrepreneurship; to help young Jamaicans understand current trends in how technology can help solve complex global challenges; develop problem-solving and leadership skills through teamwork and deepen personal mission and sense of social responsibility.
“Huawei and Jamaica’s long-term goal is to transport ICT technology, bridge ICT knowledge, regional contribution to ICT talent hub and ecosystem building,” said Bo Zhou, CEO of Huawei in Jamaica.
The Jamaica ICT Talent Hub Initiative program was also launched during the event, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding to start the creation of a learning platform within the two universities, UTech and UWI, making Jamaica an ICT Talent Hub.
“Huawei will cooperate with the Jamaican government to build an ICT academy with UWI and UTech. We will provide ICT equipment, course resources and platform resources and provide scholarships to UWI and UTech students to the tune of $ 4 million annually. Internship opportunities will be offered to Jamaican ICT Talent Center students, with opportunities to learn ICT in China, provide courses in ICT industry development and improving knowledge of technology trends for technical elites, national courses to promote strategic ICT literacy for senior officials and relevant industry experts. All this with the intention of reforming the university ICT curriculum system, ”Zhou said.
The Jamaica ICT Talent Center will produce far-reaching value and importance for universities, colleges that provide ICT courses to students, access to the latest ICT learning resources, comprehensive training and certification to students. industry standards for teachers, established industrial relations, knowledge sharing and partnerships with ICT companies.
