Students on Two-Week Internship At Huawei

Ten students will be embarking on a two-week internship at technology company, Huawei, in China, through the Huawei ‘Seeds for the Future 2019’ internship programme.

The programme seeks to develop local ICT talent, enhance knowledge transfer, promote greater understanding of, and interest in the ICT sector as well as improve and encourage regional building and participation in the digital community.

The departure ceremony for the students was held on Thursday (August 22), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, in Kingston.

Students selected are from The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus and the University of Technology (UTech) computer science programmes, and are the third cohort to participate in the internship programme, which will last from September 4 to 21.

The third and fourth-year students will study cutting-edge information and telecommunication technologies at the Huawei headquarters in Shenzhen.

In her remarks at the ceremony, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Hon. Fayval Williams, lauded Huawei for the initiative, noting that it is a testament to the enduring friendship between Jamaica and China.

Mrs. Williams said the programme facilitates not only cultural exchange, but the participants will also gain valuable, cutting-edge ICT trends in the sector, which will prepare them for the jobs of the future.

“Huawei’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme is one such opportunity, aimed at developing ICT talent, enhancing knowledge transfer and providing first-hand learning opportunities through which our youth can gain valuable practical experiences, see the latest technology at work, while building cross-cultural networks and partnerships in the digital community,” the Minister said.

“My commendations to Huawei for extending this global initiative to our tertiary level students,” she added.

For his part, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica, His Excellency Tian Qi, congratulated the young recipients on the achievement. “You are the seed for the future of the friendship between China and Jamaica…you will play a very important role as the bridge between the two peoples.”

Observing that more than US$2 billion has been invested in Jamaica by several Chinese companies, creating more than 10,000 job opportunities, Ambassador Tian Qi said programmes of this nature will continue to strengthen cultural ties between the two nations and inspire other future investments.

Between 2017 and 2018, some 16 students from both universities participated in the programme.