Lahore-The Huawei ICT Academy program will increase thenumber of training slots for Pakistani students four fold, from 800 per year toover 3,000 per year. A strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to thiseffect was signed between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and HuaweiTechnologies Pakistan. Under the MoU, Huawei ICT Academies willbe established in eight new universities,which will join existing 15 academies bythe end of 2020, bringing the total number of universities to 23. In addition,the Training Academies in 5 of the existing universities will be upgraded. Theprogram will provide important support for the government’s Digital Pakistaninitiative.
Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri graced thevirtual signing ceremony as chief guest. The event wasalso attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Ministry of Education andProfessional TrainingMs. WajihaAkram, ExecutiveDirector HEC Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice President, Public Affairs andCommunications, Huawei Middle East Li Xiangyu (Spacelee), and a large number ofVice Chancellors. Addressing the ceremony, Chairman HEC said that thegovernment is keen to bring about the technological transformation of thecountry, especially through the Digital Pakistan initiative, and the Huawei ICTAcademy Programwill provide a great contribution to this objective. He said that the program also supports HEC’scommitment toinvesting in the practical skills of Pakistani youth. He mentioned that HEC haslaunched the new undergraduate education policy,which includes a major focus onenhancing practical learning. “The new undergraduate program will offerstudents a menu of options to acquire practical skills, including throughinternships, entrepreneurial training, participation in social clubs, andsports. IT skills have become essential for future success in every field ofendeavor. The Chairman advised the Vice Chancellors to leverage theopportunities provided by the Huawei ICT Academy Program, not only to enhancestudents’ skills, but also to harness technologies in the universitiesoperations, developing collaboration with other universities, and mobilizingrevenues. He concluded by saying that the MoU was a milestone in thelongstanding relationship with Huawei, and is a reflection and reaffirmation ofthe deep-seated friendship between Pakistan and China. “Each step that we, thePakistani and Chinese entities, take will further strengthen the Pakistan-Chinarelations”.
Ms. Akramcongratulated the HEC and Huawei on taking forwardthe ICT Academy Program. She said the academia-enterprisecooperation projects, like the Huawei ICT Academy Program, will help build theICT talent ecosystem in Pakistan.“I would like to thank Huawei technologies fortheir efforts and investment in Pakistan, and entrusting our youth,specifically those from the rural areas.” Mr. Spacelee said Huawei has, for many years, been privileged to contribute tothe development of Pakistan’s ICT ecosystem together with local partners like HEC.“We are excited to be working with HECagain to expand the opportunities available through the Huawei ICT Academy.” Heappreciated HEC’s proactive leadership in the promotion of the digital economyin Pakistan.
Earlier, Dr. Marri shed light on thebackground of Huawei ICT Academy Program. He said that 800 students have beentrained through the program on yearly basis, and that the MoU will provide anopportunity to increase the number to over 3,000 per year. He stated that HECand Huawei have a shared motive to extend services and expertise in the fieldof IT and Communications. The Huawei ICT Academy Program is aglobal initiative aimed at promotion of ICT technology skills. The program waslaunched by HEC and Huawei in 2017. It features industry-academia linkages andcooperation with universities in different countries for development, trainingand certification. It is based on Huawei’s advanced technologies in the ICTarea and leading market solutions. Twenty six universities submitted theirproposals to the HEC for joining the program. Following an open and competitiveselection process, eight universities were chosen to host the next set of ICTAcademies. Theseare Mirpur University of Science and Technology, University ofCentral Punjab, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Agricultural University, Khawaja FareedUET, Usman Institute of Technology, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, UETPeshawar and the University of Peshawar. The five existing academies which willbe upgraded, based on their past performance, are COMSATS University Islamabad,NUST, UET, NED University of Engineering and Technology, and Ghulam Ishaq KhanInstitute (GIKI).
