Over the past few years the Huawei ICT Academy Programme has sought to assist in terms of skills development in South Africa.

That has not changed in 2022, with Huawei having already hosted some of its job fairs this year and helped several students when it comes to getting internships and securing gainful employment.

At the job fair, students were given the opportunity to do onsite interviews with Huawei partners, including organisations like Altron, BCX, and Reflex Solutions.

“The job fair has given us a great platform to get the best talent within the industry all thanks to the Huawei ICT Academy programme,” said Samantha Davis, HR manager at Reflex Solutions. “Most of the talent we have recruited have grown tremendously within our company and have obtained permanent positions,” she noted.

Huawei recently reaffirmed its commitment in this regard, while also outlining an ambitious goal for down the line.

To that end the company noted that, “both the ICT Academy and the Job Fair form part of Huawei South Africa’s broader commitment to fostering ICT talent in South Africa in support of the country’s fourth industrial revolution (4IR) ambitions.”

“Other initiatives include 5G training, the Huawei Graduate Programme, and its Seeds for the Future programme. The ultimate goal of its talent ecosystem development is to boost South Africa’s ICT talent pipeline by some 10 000 people a year,” it added in a press release sent to Hypertext.

The ICT Academy has trained more than 4 000 students, with more than 2 000 having obtained Huawei Certificates. The company also adds that since its inception in 2017, more than 150 students have successfully been placed in jobs through the Job Fair too.

“The significance of the Huawei ICT Academy programme cannot be overstated,” said Tang Shenbo, director of the Service and Delivery department of Huawei Enterprise SA.

“The program does not only expose learners to the latest industrial certification and training to harness their skills but also gives them a start in their career journey within the ICT industry,” he concluded.

With Huawei having recently come into the spotlight in terms of meeting its local talent development goals, hopefully initiatives like the ICT Academy can play a vital role moving forward.