Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia has launched the third cycle of its global CSR programme, ‘Seeds for the Future’, which will send 17 ICT students from the kingdom to China on a training trip.

The programme was arranged in collaboration with the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) and National Committee for Information Society (NCIS).

The departure ceremony for the 17 top students taking part in the programme’s latest iteration was held at headquarters of CITC in Riyadh. In attendance were CITC officials headed by Dr Dhaifallah Al-Zahrani, acting governor of the Commission; the Economic and Commercial Counselor of China's Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Zhao Liuqing; and Dennis Zhang, CEO of Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia.

The latest batch of participants in the programme includes students from 17 Saudi universities across the Kingdom. The ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme was launched in Saudi in 2015, as part of Huawei’s commitment to Saudi Arabia. The flagship global CSR programme is aimed at cultivating local ICT talent, promoting knowledge transfer, improving people's interest in and understanding of the ICT industry, and encouraging countries and regions to participate in the building of digital communities.

During the two-week trip, students will receive hands-on training at the company’s state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories, where they will learn about the latest developments in the ICT sector. Students will also experience first-hand Huawei’s advanced solutions and offering, including intelligent network, cloud and devices.

Dr Al Zahrani said: “Started by Thanking Huawei for its efforts in serving the community and there keenness on upgrading the ICT sector in the Kingdom. He also encouraged the students to benefit from the experience in expanding their knowledge and linking theoretical concepts with practical reality.”

Zhao Liuqing said: “Huawei-CITC Seeds for the Future programme offers its best to accommodate this objective. So far, in the framework of this programme, which has been held for two years in a row, a total of 34 excellent university students from Saudi Arabia have set their feet in China for onsite study visit.

“They had a taste of the cutting edge ICT technology in China as well as the splendid Chinese culture. Most importantly, they took the friendship of the Chinese people back to Saudi Arabia. As far as I learned, the Program has received so much favourable comment from Saudi Ministry of Information and Communication, CITC, universities and students community. It’s firmly believed that the programme will be meaningful for cultural exchange and future cooperation between the two countries.”

“As a leading global ICT solutions provider and a responsible member of the community, our ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme enables us to transfer ICT knowledge among the Saudi youth, nurture skills and make more contributions towards the socio-economic development of Saudi Arabia,” said Zhang.

“Saudi Arabia continues to be a strategic market for Huawei and by investing in its youth, we are able to accelerate the Kingdom’s diversification plans.”

Huawei has collaborated with a number of entities across the Kingdom to provide training and technical skills to Saudis over the years, including training centres, the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and the Technical Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC). In addition, Huawei had launched a Joint Innovation Centre with Saudi Aramco and KFUPM; and established the ‘Knowledge Gift’ programme with Saudi Aramco. – TradeArabia News Service