The Huawei ICT Academy is set to highlight Huawei’s ethos of diversity and inclusion by supporting Youth Month and expanding its successful Women in Tech initiative with a focus on young women. Called the Huawei Young Woman in Tech programme, the course is taking place from 21 to 28 June 2023. The course is open to all young women who are either currently studying in the ICT field or who would like to in the future.
The course programmes will take place entirely online and will cover topics including artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud computing. The initial training will then be followed by masterclasses in each of the topics, taking place from 3 to 17 July and will culminate in final exams to be written in the first week of August. Successful students will then receive the career certification in the relevant course.
Anyone wanting to take part in any of the courses can simply fill in the online application form, which covers their personal details, which course they’d like to participate in, and their motivation for participating in the course by 20 June.
The Women in Tech initiative aims to help women of all ages advance their skills and use new technologies to grow, improve their studies and ultimately prepare them for the workplace of the future.
“At Huawei, we know how important it is to ensure that women have the skills needed to participate equitably in a field that’s as traditionally been male-dominated,” says Vanashree Govender, media relations and communications manager at Huawei South Africa. “Following the success of our previous programmes in 2021 and 2022, we felt that it was important to expand it to young women. Women currently make up just 13% of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, meaning that we all have roles to play when it comes to ensuring that the sector is as equitable as possible.”
The instructors are equally excited by the programme.
“I’m excited because this is an opportunity to engage with young women and to talk to, empower, and influence them to understand their abilities,” says Tabani Njaba, who will be handling the big data track of the course programme. “As women, we often underestimate ourselves. Programmes like this provide a great opportunity for young women to unleash their full potential.
“It’s a privilege to be in a position to empower young women, especially in a field that’s as traditionally male-dominated as technology,” says Starleen Mangozho, who is facilitating the cloud computing section of the course.”
If you’d like to participate in the Huawei Young Women in Tech programme, fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/j665C9hzZLC62kUk9