Huawei, together with the South African College Principals Organisation (SACPO) have announced a partnership which will see TVET colleges in South Africa playing home to a Huawei ICT Academy.

The Huawei ICT Academy will offer up Huawei certification training both online and in classrooms. The academies will also be used to train instructors.

At present there are 23 TVET colleges which have been enrolled as a Huawei ICT Academy and there are 200 instructors being trained to offer a Huawei Accredited courses.

During the launch Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande praised the initiative and said it underscores the aim of 2013 White Paper for Post School Education and Training.

“In realising this goal, the role of industry becomes more significant than ever,” said Nzimande. “South Africa faces immediate skills shortages which are constraining investment and growth. Bold and visionary partnerships between industry partners like Huawei and public colleges can accelerate innovation and help deliver solutions to pressing social challenges

Huawei South Africa’s chief executive officer, Spawn Fan, says that initiatives such as this rely heavily on partnerships between the public and private sectors.

“Huawei recognizes the national ICT development and investment in Fourth Industrial Revolution should come together with indispensable and sustainable talent supply. This can only be achieved through the joint efforts of Government, Academia and Industry,” says Fan.

Huawei hopes to have an ICT Academy at all 50 of South Africa’s TVET colleges by 2021.