Huawei has announced its collaboration with ITU to organise "Walk into ICT Industry" event to build up towards the Youth Summit from 26-28 April 2022. Over 20 students from all over the Thailand were invited to visit the Huawei Customer Solution Innovation & Integration Experience Center (CSIC) in Bangkok on 5 May 2022 and receive digital skills training provided by Huawei ASEAN Aacedmy. The students also participated in Girls in ICT Day Thailand 2022 organised by ITU on 28 April.
The 5 May Walk into ICT Industry event exposed over 20 students to the latest ICT technology by visiting Huawei CSIC, talking to ICT Experts and attending digital skills training, all with the aim of supporting Thailand's Digital Economy plan and Thailand 4.0.
Ms. Atsuko Okuda, Regional Director of ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, said: “Young people have the right to achieve full economic, social and digital inclusion. ICTs are tools through which young women and men can substantively contribute to, participate in, and leverage their social and economic development. I would like to Thank Huawei for helping drive digital technology and innovation development in Thailand.”
Mr. Liu Ziping, Deputy Secretary General of APT, said: “It is equally important that we have the active involvement of the industry, which is able to bring to our younger generation hands-on technologies and skills, innovation ideas and career opportunities. In this sense, I would hope that those students who are invited to this event will benefit a lot from the visit to Huawei CSIC and digital skills training that Huawei has arranged for them.”
The event also gathered Thai government sector stakeholders to discuss the roles of digital technology and talent cultivation in enhancing the country’s competitiveness. As Thailand hopes to drive its digital economy to take up 30% of its GDP by 2030, different sectors are actively collaborating to produce an upskilled and digital workforce.
Mr. Notachard Chintakanond, Executive Director of the International Affairs Bureau, Office of NBTC, emphasised that: “ICTs can enhance education, reduce youth unemployment and promote social and economic development. Huawei’s Digital Technology supports Thailand to become ASEAN’s Digital Hub. I really appreciate Huawei's commitment through today's Walk into ICT industry event.”
Mr. Nattapon Nattasomboon, Deputy Permanent Secretary of MDES, highlighted that: “We are delighted to attend today’s event hosted by Huawei and ITU. It is my belief that this digital talent cultivate programme will play an important role in bridging digital talent gaps in the region by equipping Thailand youth with essential skills that will enable them to thrive in the digital economy era.”
Talent cultivation has long been one of Huawei’s strategic focuses to promote local socioeconomic and digital development. According to the WEF Digital Skill Report, only 55% of workers in Thailand have the required digital skills.
As the country marches rapidly towards the vision of becoming ASEAN’s digital hub, Edison Xu, Board Director of Huawei Thailand, expressed gratitude for the continuous cooperation with partners. He said that as an ICT enabler and contributor, Huawei will continuously support ITU’s Generation Connect initiative and help Thailand build a thriving talent ecosystem. He emphasised that through the Huawei ASEAN Academy, Spark Program and Seeds for Future projects, Huawei is committed to bringing the benefits of digital technology to more young people in Thailand.
To support the digital ecosystem in Asia Pacific, Huawei announced in 2021 that it will invest $50 million to develop 500,000 digital talents for Asia Pacific over the next five and invest US$100 million over three years to cultivate a startup ecosystem in the region.
Under the mission of “Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand,” Huawei Thailand has been working with many parties in Thailand to create a thriving ICT talent ecosystem. The Huawei ASEAN Academy has helped train more than 41,000 digital professionals over the past years. Looking ahead, Huawei will keep closing the gap between knowledge learned in the classroom and the practical skills required by the industry and the Thailand 4.0 blueprint.