Huawei opened its Seeds for the Future (SFTF) 2022 Programme in the Caribbean region on November 4,2022, to encourage ICT talent to tackle social challenges with digital solutions.

The programme will gather 55 leading university STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) students from Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, who earned the chance to participate in the 8-day digital boot camp from November 7th – 14th 2022.

Twenty students from the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) will be joining their regional counterparts in receiving advanced technological skills’ training by international industry experts, through this year’s SFTF, which is now in its 7th year in T&T.

An additional feature of this year’s cohort is that the top three students of each country will be selected to attend a week-long study trip in Panama, following the culmination of the programme, where they will be further exposed to lectures, workshops and tours conducted by ICT industry experts in the region.

Since the programme was introduced into T&T in 2016, Huawei has welcomed 70 students for training, half of whom have visited China for hands on experience in the latest technologies.

While the covid19 pandemic has prompted the company to shift activities to online platforms, it continues to gain momentum, attracting a total of 40 students in the 2020 and 2021 cohorts of the programme.

The Seeds for The Future, which is one of the initiatives of Huawei’s wider ICT Talent Development Plan, aims to invest in the region’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector by enhancing the skills of the next generation of innovators through technological skills training, reinforced by modules in business principles.

Additionally, Huawei has provided direct employment to four (4) of its outstanding SFTF graduates at the Port of Spain office, since the start of the programme, with the commitment to increase future opportunities for training through internships at Huawei.

Speaking at the programme’s virtual launch on Friday morning, Huawei’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications in Central America and the Caribbean Daniel Ding congratulated the students for being selected and encouraged them to use the skills learned to benefit their respective communities and countries.

Mr Ding in his remarks also expressed Huawei’s continued commitment to developing the region’s digital infrastructure through different initiatives and lauded participating countries for their support and co-operation.

“Our vision is to bring digital (technology) to every person, home and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. We honor this commitment no matter what.

“In Latin America, we have been practicing our mission for more than twenty years, and we have achieved a lot in close co-operation with our partners. We will keep investing in joint innovation, breaking through technical bottlenecks, driving industry upgrade, and providing opportunities to young talent.”

Representatives from participating countries also expressed their gratitude and support for the programme while congratulating the students on their acceptance.

Jamaica’s Minister of Education, Youth, and Information, the Honourable Fayval Williams thanked Huawei for their continued support and assistance in helping STEM students achieve their full potential and providing opportunities for their success.

“This gives them (students) the opportunity to work in a cross-cultural environment while accessing key training on bleeding edge technologies.

“These twenty STEM students will benefit greatly not only from the knowledge gained through this experience but also the mentorship they will receive from a highly skilled team of Huawei experts.

“We want to provide our talented young people with the best STEM opportunities possible and help them to succeed and contribute positively to the world.”

Also attending the virtual event was iGovTT CEO Charles Bobb-Semple who thanked Huawei for their contributions to the growth of T&T’s technology landscape while congratulating the students for their acceptance into the programme.

Mr. Bobb-Semple also encouraged the participants to make full use of the opportunities before them by learning as much as they can and approaching different technical concepts with an open mind.

“With Seeds for the Future you all are in excellent hands for receiving great guidance, teaching and experiences in your times ahead.
“As you all embark upon this amazing opportunity keep in mind that you all are indeed seeds for the future, to grow, to mature, to bear fruit of ICT knowledge, to bring benefit to yourselves and your communities.“Don’t at all at any time be afraid to ask questions as you seek to grow in your ICT knowledge.”

In his remarks Deputy Director of E-Government in Suriname Prewien Ramadhin stressed the value of ICT development in the region and noted that he was confident the topics introduced to participants would sharpen their skills on the latest advances in technology.

“Through this programme students will get the opportunity to learn about emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence to meet Huawei experts and industry professionals. Looking at the topics of this programme I am confident the programme will help students bridge the skills gap.”

As of 2021, the Seeds for The Future programme has benefited over 12,000 students around the world in 137 countries.