Huawei welcomed instructors from some of South Africa’s top tertiary institutions, leaders from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), as well as its own executives to the company’s Johannesburg campus for the Huawei ICT Academy Instructors’ Summit 2024. The Summit is hosted annually to bring together instructors to share their experiences, knowledge, and successes as they navigate a rapidly developing industry, which is being reshaped by modern technologies.
Will Meng, CEO of Huawei South Africa delivered the welcoming address for the day, and highlighted the significant role ICT instructors play as the company continues to invest in initiatives that disseminate ICT skills.
“The ICT sector has been amongst the fastest growing in the country, and it will continue to be so for years to come.”
Meng added the influence of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) is now pervasive and will require responsive skills development and research for South Africa to reap the full benefits.
Over the past few years Huawei has worked intensively to bring Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions into its ICT training ecosystem with remarkable success, establishing its ICT Academy at 48 out of 50 colleges. Including universities and private colleges across the country, Huawei has an impressive total of 76 ICT Academies.
Today saw another milestone, with an agreement between Huawei, DHET, and the Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology aimed at transforming the ICT curriculum at TVETs to include training in the latest technologies.
“This is a landmark achievement where these parties will update and enhance the ICT curriculum within TVET colleges, so classroom teachings remain relevant as 4IR technologies continue to develop,” said Kemogotsitse Bosielo, Public Relations Manager for Government Affairs at Huawei South Africa.
The instructors who gave testimony at the event, spoke about the ICT Academy’s career changing impact, and how students with the certification have been snapped up by key ICT employers.
Buthi Manamela, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, reflected on the DHET’s long-standing relationship with Huawei South Africa, which extends back to 2016.
“We really appreciate the partnership that we continue to enjoy with and Huawei South Africa. It is a partnership that is based on practical programmes that impact the economy of our country but also our skills development agenda,” said Manamela.
The DHET has set a target to see 2.6 million students gaining crucial skills at TVET colleges by 2030. To achieve such a prolific target, the Deputy Minister said that programmes like the Huawei ICT Academy, which offer affordable and impactful ways to share ICT skills in the country, will be essential.
He further praised the ICT Academy’s ability to help his department identify new technologies and the impact they will have on South Africa over the next five to 10 years.
In his conclusion, the Manamela reminded the Huawei ICT Academy instructors in the room that their knowledge was essential because it would impact the education of future generations.
Charles Cheng, Deputy CEO of Huawei South Africa also reflected on the critical impact of the Huawei ICT Academy, saying, “more important than the public praise, are the jobs we have helped created and the entrepreneurial growth we have been able to support through our programmes, which span from primary school goers to SMME owners.”
Cheng then opened the floor for leading instructors to engage in a dynamic roundtable discussion about how changing technology impacts the education sector.
The discussion revealed that the higher education sector has already been reshaped by 4IR technologies and that these changes require the curriculum to align with the demands of rapidly changing technologies like AI, robotics, and the Internet of Things.
Over 2 600 Huawei ICT Academies have been initiated around the world, producing over 11 000 Huawei ICT certified instructors and training over 200 000 students.
