Students from 10 Middle East countries travel to China for the international final of Huawei’s ICT Competition 2018

Huawei has announced the end of the second edition of it’s ICT Competition 2018 aimed at preparing the next generation of ICT leaders based on Huawei new vision of bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected and intelligent world. Combining the company’s CSR goal of nurturing local ICT talent in collaboration with government authorities, colleges and universities in the Middle East with its mandate to build the ICT ecosystem, Huawei aims to equip countries in the Middle East to pursue their national agendas for digital transformation and achieve their national visions.
Aimed at universities and students, the competition seeks to recognize and nurture the region’s finest ICT talent, increase national ICT competitiveness by promoting innovation and creativity among ICT students and encourage them to actively contribute to achieving their countries vision for digital transformation and sustainable socioeconomic growth and developments. The program attempts to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, thus enhancing students’ future employment opportunities in the ICT sector through knowledge sharing on latest ICT developments, international trends, and hands-on skills development training at Huawei’s state of the art labs, R&D centers and facilities. National winners from each participating country receive a trip to global ICT company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, certification and cash prizes, in addition to employment opportunities at Huawei to select candidates.
The ICT Competition was made possible through strong partnerships between Huawei and many government entities from the Middle East, from Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq as well as the support from over 226 universities in the region. The generation of students involved is expected to lead the region’s ICT industry into the future by embracing digital transformation. The ICT Competition is designed to prepare them for such a responsibility.
Over 14,748 students registered for the competition from the region. Out of the 4,915 students who attended, 214 were selected for the national final. Ultimately, 39 students were chosen for the international final, from 13 universities.
The winners of the international final competition in Shenzhen will receive Huawei Certificate Vouchers, trophies, and prizes. In addition to awarding the most outstanding team with $30,000 USD in cash, the next five teams will claim second place and three teams will be awarded third place. The next seven teams will receive Excellence Prizes, while 6 tutors and 11 academies will also be recognized with the Excellent Tutor and Excellent Academy Prizes.
After doing the final exams, competitors as well as representatives from their respective embassies will attend Huawei’s ICT Talent Cultivation Summit and Award Ceremony along with members of UNESCO and China’s top universities and government entities. The students will also experience China’s rich heritage through cultural visits and have the opportunity to visit the campus of Huawei’s prestigious Southern University of Science and Technology (SUST).
The trip to China will conclude the 2018 edition of Huawei ICT Competition, which so far has gone through two rounds of rigorous examination at the local and national level. In total, 14,748 students across the Middle East applied for the competition, from which 4,915 were selected to take part in the preliminary rounds. 214 students passed on to the final round, and 39 in total from 13 teams will be traveling to China to compete internationally. The ICT Competition was made possible through the cooperation of 17 ministries across 10 countries. 226 colleges and universities took part in total, and 65 participated in Huawei’s roadshow. 950 students additionally passed the Huawei HCNA certification exam.
[Charles Yang, president of HUAWEI Middle East] said: “We are committed to supporting the region’s journey of digital transformation and align with government targets to take advantage of ICT in driving the socioeconomic growth and achieve the national visions targets. Huawei ICT Competition increases national ICT competitiveness and encourages local communities to contribute to achieving the country’s national vision for digital transformation and economic growth. The future of ICT progress lays in the hands of our students, and by developing platforms and programs that allow them to grow and mature into experts, we can better equip the next generation of technology leaders.”.