Huawei to cultivate 100,000 digital talents from South Asia in 5 years

With the help of governments, universities, and industrial partners, Huawei will scout 100,000 digital talents over the next five years from South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

This was revealed by a Huawei spokesperson at the Digital Talent Regional Summit: “cultivating a talent ecosystem for inclusive digital prosperity.”

The summit involved ministers and scholars from the three countries and experts and representatives from UNESCO and the ICT industry to collaborate in closing digital skill gaps and facilitate post-pandemic digital transformations.

Attendees from Bangladesh who shared their insights included: State Minister of ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Professor Satya Prasad Majumder, and Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Beatrice Kaldun.

Speaking on the initiative’s purpose, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific Jay Chen said, “We believe the talent ecosystem is the cornerstone of the economic recovery and a long-lasting digital future. However, the lack of digital skills is one of the biggest challenges facing many countries.”

Palak added that with Huawei’s help, Bangladesh could attain its goals of digitalization and youth support, leading to economic growth and a fourth industrial revolution.

The minister emphasized that this transformation is pivotal to upskill the youth and reskill current employees but requires government, educational institutions, and private sector collaboration.

Huawei representatives also stressed the importance of closing the digital skill gap for sustainable development, stating: “to cultivate a talent ecosystem for inclusive digital prosperity, we have to promote digital inclusion, mainstream digital skill developments, and foster digital-pedagogical transformation.”

“Huawei is committed ... to empowering a maximum of the world’s population with essential digital skills,” added Representative Kaldun.

Participating scholars and experts emphasized that approaches to develop talent should align with the digital vision.

Prof Majumder commented that the pandemic demonstrated the importance of continuous innovation and thanked Huawei for their collaboration.

Alongside Huawei’s current partnerships, they plan on extending talent cultivation initiatives to provide an end-to-end Huawei talent platform, which will help with career development, online courses, examinations, certifications, and job seeking.