Huawei launches Seeds for the Future Program 2022 to enhance talents’ digital skills

• Huawei unveils Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 Program to inspire ICT talent and encourage them to tackle social challenges with digital solutions
• The program will gather 120 students from 16 countries in the APAC region for a 9-day digital boot camp in Thailand

The idea of a digital skills gap is not particularly new. Many people don’t think it exists at all, apparently. However, it cannot be denied that things are evolving, and some people may not be prepared to handle these changes.

In fact, according to the Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce report, two out of every three workers are not convinced that they are acquiring digital skills quickly enough to fulfill future job requirements.

In light of this, Huawei introduced Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 in association with the ASEAN Foundation and the Thailand Tourism Authority (TAT). The program will gather 120 exceptional students from 16 nations in the Asia Pacific region for a 9-day digital boot camp in Thailand from August 19 to August 27.

Through Tech4Good initiatives, participants will be immersed in technology and cross-cultural experiences while also proposing technical solutions to social challenges. This year, there are 120 participants, and 56 of them are women, making the 2022 cohort the most gender-balanced since the program’s inception in the region in 2008.

Asia Pacific Seeds for the Future 2022 marks the first time the program is held since Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2021 to expand the program. By taking the participants on a cultural tour of Bangkok, the TAT will also make a substantial contribution to the program this year. These groups are hoping to work together to generate a synergy that will provide attendees with an experience that is unmatched.

Local government authorities and representatives from numerous foreign organizations both attended the inauguration event. Speakers at the event stressed the significance of multi-party collaboration in building a strong ecosystem of digital talent in the region.

The program’s plan in improving talents’ digital skills

According to Jurin Laksanawisit, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, the public and private sectors are currently cooperating to grow ICT personnel in order to keep up with changing trends.

“Personally, I believe that co-training with leading specialized companies such as Huawei will greatly enhance the quality of the education and is an excellent step for advancing digital development with the goal of strengthening the economy to international levels,” he added.

The ASEAN Secretary-General, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, emphasized that the development of a Digital ASEAN will be driven by digital talent and that the private sector may take the lead in bringing this vision to life. In this regard, that’s where Huawei’s Asia Pacific’s initiative: Seeds for the Future Program come in place.

“This project underscores the long-term commitment of Huawei to collaborate and prepare the ASEAN youth for the changing world of work and industry’s demands. I also commend the Huawei ASEAN Academy for working with local stakeholders to train 23,465 ICT professionals from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia. I hope that such efforts could also be extended to the other ASEAN Member States.”

In Asia Pacific, advanced digital talent development is often carried out through collaborative programs operated by governments, academia, and commercial tech companies. Examples of such initiatives include the ASEAN Academy and Seeds for the Future.

Simon Lin, president of Huawei Asia Pacific, reaffirmed Huawei’s commitment to talent development, saying that the “seeds” stand for the future, hope, and passion. This initiative has been introduced to approximately 140 countries and regions by Huawei, the corporate-level flagship CSR project with the longest history, and has reached more than 12,000 students from 500 universities.

“Digitalization is the driving force for our future. Talent is the key to digital transformation and sustainable growth. We deeply believe that the young generation will grow as the constructors of Asia Pacific when pursuing their tech dreams,” Lin concluded.

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