The cultivation of digital talents is an indispensable factor for the development of digital economy and industrial innovation. It has become a new issue facing countries around the world after digitalization and intelligence agenda. The EU's 2030 Digital Compass plan aims to train 20 million ICT specialists and equip 80 percent of adults with basic digital skills by 2030.
Talent development initiatives need to consider industry technologies that are constantly evolving. Talent development programs offered by universities will not be enough to address the skills gap created by accelerated digital transformation across all industries. Having accumulated technology and industrial know-hows in the ICT field, Huawei adheres to its commitment to "in Europe, for Europe", and aims to help Europe cultivate high-quality, localized ICT talents with global competitiveness. To this end, Huawei is leveraging its successful ICT practices to build talent alliances, standardize talent requirements, upskill professionals, and demonstrate the value of digital talent in Europe.
Joining Hands with Universities to Develop Digital Talent
As a global technology company, Huawei actively builds talent ecosystems and shares ICT knowledge and skills around the world. The Huawei ICT Academy is an important initiative to develop talent in partnership with universities, colleges and training providers.
Since 2011, Huawei has partnered with universities to share the latest developments in ICT with students around the world through training courses, online learning, and lab training, among others. The company takes the latest cutting-edge industry knowledge directly to academia, encouraging students to gain industry standard Huawei certifications, supporting in the development of new talent with innovative and practical skills for the global ICT industry. Since students rarely get to participate in real-world projects, the Huawei ICT Academy includes both theoretical lessons and practical training to bridge the gap between academia and the industry.
Having accumulated technology and industrial know-hows in the ICT field, Huawei adheres to its commitment to "in Europe, for Europe", and aims to help Europe cultivate high-quality, localized ICT talents with global competitiveness.
At present, the ICT Academy offers three types of courses general and professional courses with the latter consisting of theory and practical elements supporting both instructor-led and self-paced learning in a comprehensive range of technology areas and leading to an ICT industry recognized certification. By January 2023, Huawei released 18 updated courses in English with additional resources to support students.
Huawei ICT Academy provides a wide range of ICT Courses
By December 2022, Huawei had established the ICT Academy Programme in more than 2200 academic institutions globally, this network of Huawei ICT Academies supports in training over 200,000 every year and has also trained more than 8,000 dedicated teachers to date. In Europe, Huawei has supported in the development of over 200 ICT academies in partnership with local universities, colleges and training providers with more than 10,000 student registrations. The Academy has been a crucial stepping stone in the careers of many specialists in Europe's ICT industry and is supporting in the development of a flourishing digital economy.
In 2015, Huawei launched the first ICT Academy in the UK in partnership with Henley Business School, which is part of the University of Reading, to jointly develop digital talent.
The ICT Academy facilities at the University of Alicante, the first Huawei ICT Academy in Spain
In Spain, the HCIA courses offered by the Huawei ICT Academy at the University of Alicante are considered compulsory courses that can be used to train outstanding teachers and new talent. In 2021, the University of Alicante organized six master classes, three offline campus recruitment events, and a large job fair in collaboration with the local government and the chamber of commerce. In 2022, the number of active students online reached more than 1,000, and the number of students certified by Huawei grew from less than 10 to more than 160, ranking first in Western Europe. There are many similar success stories because Huawei customizes the terms of partnerships with European universities based on the development of the local digital economy and then introduces targeted ICT courses which benefit teachers, students, and the university.
Working with governments and international organizations to develop future digital talent
No person or enterprise can be an island, isolated in the age of the Internet of everything. Given the urgent demand for digital talent from various industries, Huawei is working with international educational organizations, governments, and partners to provide access to technologies, share experiences, and build a platform for the development of the ICT talent ecosystem.
Huawei partners are pictured with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in the UK where “tech for good” was the theme of the event aimed at enhancing young people's programming skills and encouraging them to consider a career in technology.
Huawei held the Digital Talent Summit during the 3rd UNESCO World Higher Education Conference in May 2022
Huawei has also collaborated with UNESCO. The International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) is a non-profit online education platform run by the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO. Huawei not only provides cloud technologies to support platform operations, but also offers 14 advanced ICT certification courses for free to help teachers improve their technical skills. Huawei actively participated in the third UNESCO World Higher Education Conference. It not only launched the Seeds for the Future scholarship program, but also signed MOUs with 11 ICT academies and educational organizations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa to develop future digital talent.
Holding various activities to display the value of talent
Developing a talent ecosystem should be a top priority in Europe. Huawei has released a talent white paper, and organized the ICT competition and Talent Ecosystem Forum to demonstrate the value of talent and empower and facilitate talent development.
Huawei and Ernst & Young jointly released Strategies to Address the Digital Skills Gap in the EU
In 2022, Huawei and Ernst & Young released Strategies to Address the Digital Skills Gap in the EU, which presented a detailed analysis of the digital skills gap in the EU, and offered possible solutions to close this gap, improve ICT education and learning opportunities, encourage and support women's participation in the ICT sector, and promote the development of a collaborative digital skills ecosystem, because every European can benefit from improving their digital skills.
Huawei also organizes annual events such as the Huawei ICT Talent Job Fair, HCIE Night to connect talent with enterprises, promote the employment of students, and help students create value in the industry.
Huawei is working to create the European talent ecosystem. In the future, it will continue to collaborate with governments, industry organizations, and universities to build an open, reliable, mutually beneficial, and sustainable ICT talent ecosystem. This will help to continuously improve everyone’s digital skills, promote digital inclusion, make technological breakthroughs, and drive sustainable social and economic development.
