With the series of campaigns aimed at the talent ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa, such as “Seeds for the Future"and "ICT Competition”, Huawei intends to improve the competence of more than 600 thousand ICT professionals by 2023. The objective is to fill the talent gap in this area, advancing the digital transformation of industries.
A total of 66 university students from the engineering areas of the provinces of Luanda, Benguela, Namibe and Malanje finish Friday, October 23, the training program on advanced technologies and cultural immersion “Seeds for the Future”. ), implemented by Huawei in partnership with UNITEL.
In view of the restrictions imposed by WHO by the pandemic COVID-19, the training, which began on Monday, the 19th, was carried out online during and will last for five days, ending on 23 October. During this period, selected students have come to know innovative solutions for fixed and mobile broadband 5G networks, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) and have learned more about the concept of smart cities. The courses are taught by global Huawei experts and also include a cultural immersion program and introduction to Mandarin.
In virtual visits, students had contact with the working environment of a “giant” company in the area of information and communication technologies such as Huawei. They interacted with the professionals who are at the multinational's headquarters, visited the research and development laboratories, watched demonstrations of innovative technological solutions and learned up close what skills are necessary to succeed in the area of ICTs, in a multicultural, innovative and creative environment.
The program selected the best students from all over the country under the age of 30, enrolled from the third year onwards in universities or higher institutes accredited by the Government of Angola in the following areas of study: Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Telecommunications, Electromechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Network Engineering, Management Informatics, Mechatronic Engineering and Electronic Engineering.
On an annual basis, the program “Seeds for the Future” wants to promote the excellence of the best students from Angolan universities.
ICT Competition 2019 experience
On the other hand, every year Huawei offers the best engineering students from different countries the possibility to live a unique experience in their lives: to participate in the global competition for information and communication technology - the ICT Competition. In 2019, four young Angolan students represented the country in the regional qualifiers in Johannesburg, South Africa, and thanks to their talent they managed to include Angola in the list of the four countries that represented the sub-Saharan Africa region in the grand final competition that took place in Shenzen, in China.
Now Platforms technician at Ucall, José Simão, was one of the participants and tells about his experience: “When we arrived in South Africa, we were very well received by the Huawei staff. The company representatives are very polite, it was noted in both South Africa and China. I learned many concepts at the level of computer networks, which have been useful for my professional life as a platform technician".
For his part, José Monteiro, who was the team's instructor and also got a job at Velonet after going to this competition, says: “Our participation in China was very good, we had the opportunity to interact with people from different nations, different cultures, it was very interestingnte. ”
In the same vein, the ITA technician, Joaquim da Conceição, testifies that he lived “many experiences” and made “many friendships that last until today, mainly with the Mozambican brothers”. "I improved the technical skills, which helped a lot to identify several problems that I have had with clients on a daily basis", he adds.
Also for Luis Almeida, the national champion of the ICT in 2019, the interaction with technicians from other corners of the continent was the highlight. “It was very 'cool'. I remember well that, when we were at the gala of the final ceremony in South Africa, one of Botswana's colleagues said to us: 'If you won, then I also won'. It was great to hear it from someone from another country ”. Participation in the ICT gave the young man his first job opportunity, as a network technician at BFA. “It is very rewarding”, he rejoices.
The challenges of the ICT Competition were what most marked another participant, Neves Cutambo. The BFA network technician adds that “the experience of preparing for a certification test, contact with colleagues, in addition to left-wing that are established whenever a person is submitted to such a competition, was very good ”. “The ICT Competition provided me with job opportunities as an instructor at the ITEL academy, at CEFITEL and then at BFA, on the recommendation of Huawei”, he confides.
Finally, the person responsible for Huawei's Talent Ecosystem in Angola, Luís Erivaldo, recalls that the experience was as exciting as it was difficult. “Exciting, because it was the first time to participate in the competition; and difficult, because we had to do basic preparation, from scratch, with all the students ”, he explains.
The individual perception of each participant is unique, but everyone agrees that this experience has enabled them to develop skills, gain visibility, expand their network of contacts and grow professionally. Today, these young people have reached the job market, which has enabled them to apply their knowledge, progress in their careers and, at the same time, improve the quality of life of their families.
Despite the current situation around the world, these Huawei programs in the sub-Saharan Africa region will not stop. The objective is to train 600 thousand technicians by 2023. With this, the multinational takes a step further towards the digital transformation of all the productive sectors of the country, taking the digital to every person, home and organization, towards a totally connected and intelligent world. .
