Huawei South Africa is partnering with the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) for a second year, affording 10 South African students from universities across the country an opportunity to participate in its global Seeds for the Future programme that takes place in China.
During the two week study and cultural exchange trip to China, students form part of the global Seeds Programme which to date runs in 96 countries, benefitting over 30-thousand students. They will receive training in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, LTE, and cloud computing in Huawei’s most advanced labs located in Beijing and the company’s Headquarters in Shenzhen.
“Huawei sees skills development, transfer and training as critical as this will empower our youth to enter the formal job sector,” says Steven Wu, CEO of Huawei South Africa. “The participating students will have the opportunity to gain training alongside global peers in China, a place from where new technology giants are emerging.”
Made possible through an ongoing partnership with the DTPS and supported by the Chinese Embassy, this is Huawei South Africa’s flagship CSR programme. It is not all work as the students will be given the opportunity to explore the local Chinese culture and sites such as the Great Wall of China during their exchange programme.
Speaking to the 10 participating students, DTPS Minister Siyabonga Cwele said: “We’re very happy with the positive feedback received from students who participated last year, many of whom are now contributing to the growth of our economy. We cannot grow our economy if we don’t improve our education, our skills and opportunities for employment. We need to focus on ensuring that we’re not left behind in the digital era by upskilling our workforce.”
Chinese Ambassador to South Africa, Lin Songtian, wished the students well on their study trip and urged them to learn as much as they could from the latest Huawei technologies that they would be exposed to.
“When you come back to South Africa, you can use this knowledge to improve the digital economy and to grow the local telecommunications industry.”
All of the selected students are studying ICT courses and hail from universities across the country, including Tshwane University of Technology, North-West University, Durban University of Technology, Central University of Technology and the Nelson Mandela University.
Many of the students who participated in 2016 are either furthering their studies or have secured employment in ICT companies. All expressed that this has been an invaluable learning opportunity for them and has broadened their knowledge beyond expectations.
