Leading global ICT provider Huawei is once again seeking top University students from Trinidad and Tobago to participate in Huawei’s global “Seeds for The Future” (SFTF) Programme––the company’s highly successful technology training initiative which exposes tertiary students in the disciplines of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), to global knowledge and expertise in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The 2023 SFTF will mark the eighth staging of the programme in Trinidad and Tobago, which will run from October 9th – 16th, 2023. Following the end of the pandemic, the initiative this year resumes its in-person, travel-abroad format. Successful applicants from T&T will spend eight days in Costa Rica where they will be part of a contingent of 80 of the top STEM university students from the Latin America and Caribbean region.
There will also be new elements introduced, which will include: mentorship provided from Huawei Headquarters, incentives for the Top Three Selectees, and eight-day programme of offline activities, and a local workshop featuring high level officials from around the region.
A brief statement from Huawei says: “Knowing that the digital economy has become the national strategy of most countries, the SFTF Programme supports digital transformation and economic growth by training the talent and promoting critical thinking through the development of projects.”
“Seeds for The Future provides an important platform for students to learn about the innovative technologies of the industry, experience cross-cultural exchanges, and foster entrepreneurship. Its vision is to shape future young leaders, guide them into the digital industry, and build the local digital community.”
The history of the “Seeds For The Future” initiative is one of accomplishment and satisfaction. Started in 2016 in T&T, it has seen 90 local students benefit from this unique STEM training, with almost half of them travelling to China for two-weeks of hands-on instructions at Huawei’s HQ, as well as in Chinese culture, and some also being integrated into Huawei’s operations in T&T.
With the programme now shedding its all-online format due to the pandemic, new participants will once again be able to enjoy the face-to-face learning, cross-cultural communication, and hands on training in Huawei’s cutting-edge technologies – such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, and 5G – while in Costa Rica.
Huawei Technologies (T&T) Limited’s Public Relations Manager Ms Tricia Henry gave details including: the intended participants must be talented University students with a GPA of 3.0 or a top-30% faculty ranking; majoring or interested in ICT as well as cross-cultural exchanges and entrepreneurship; and with a high proficiency in English language.
Applications will be open for students to submit until July 20th, 2023, and all relevant applicants will be interviewed for the selection of the final 10 students who will participate this year.
Registration, selection, and interviews will take place from June to August; with the kick-off event carded for the first week of October, and the closing ceremony set to be staged on 16th October.
So far, Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program has helped nurture more than 2.2 million digital talents in over 150 countries since its inception in 2008. The programme forms part of the company’s global ICT Talent Development initiative, seeking to invest in building the human resource capacity for the new digital era. In 2021, Huawei announced it had already invested US$150 million and planned invest another US$150 million in digital talent development before 2026, which is expected to benefit an additional 3 million people.
For more information on the SFTF Programme, visit the website.
