Technology firm Huawei has committed to providing training to 377 trainees under the Presidential Digital Talent Programme (PDTP) in partnership with the ICT Authority of Kenya.
The five-week virtual training kicks off today and will provide digital training courses on Networking, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence. Under the programme, 246 trainees’ will take the Networking course while 131 students will take the Cloud and Artificial Intelligence Courses.
During the kick-off meeting, Fiona Pan, Huawei’s Deputy CEO Public Affairs, noted that “Huawei will continue to support local ICT talent development initiatives. Investing in Kenya’s digital skills training is not only part of our Corporate Social Responsibility but is also our duty as an organization to work together with government and other stakeholders to address the digital skills gap,”
Huawei remains committed to forging partnerships that seek to empower and educate the next generation. This has been achieved by developing and providing digital skills training programs focusing on scaling up skill development. The training focuses on advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, the Internet of Things and basic digital literacy under the Huawei Digitruck program.
There has been the rapid deployment of various advanced and emerging technologies in the recent past, including the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing. As a result, a new set of skills is required. Additionally, building capacity and skills necessary for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is critical for Kenya and the continent to embrace digital transformation.
The ICT Authority has prioritized ICT skill development among youth to cater to the ever-growing demand for competent ICT specialists and engineers while ensuring that they can compete equally with counterparts from across the globe whilst taking advantage of the ever-increasing opportunities presented.
The PDTP training aims to address the skill gap by building capacity and developing local ICT skills and talent while equipping the trainees with knowledge on cutting edge technology paramount for the 4IR.
The training will be conducted by certified Huawei trainers, with the students having access to training resources, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and e-Labs. Trainees who will complete the training successfully will receive HCIA Datacom v1.0, HCIA- Cloud Computing v4.0 and HCIA AI v3.0 certifications.
Since 2015, Huawei has been supporting the Presidential Digital Talent Programme providing private sector internships, mentorship and training in addition to the annual innovation awards. To date, over 1000 trainees have received training and certifications. In 2018, the PDTP Huawei Training was conducted at Zetech University and in 2019 at Kenyatta University, courtesy of the Huawei ICT Academy Program. This year, Huawei will complete the training and certification online.