Feature: Huawei's training program helps develop ICT talents for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- After completing a training course under Huawei's "Seeds for the Future" program, Seang Vilya, a sophomore in the major of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at a university in Phnom Penh, expressed her confidence that the course would add professional weight to her resume when looking for a job after graduation.

Vilya is among 12 Cambodian university students who had completed a three-week online and offline training course in Thailand and in Singapore with other 108 students from 15 other countries in the Asia Pacific region.

"The 'Seeds for the Future' program has not only played a vital role in helping develop ICT talents in Cambodia, but also served as a bridge to promote the bond of friendship between Cambodia and China," the 20-year-old student from the American University of Phnom Penh told Xinhua while attending the Seeds for the Future 2022 closing ceremony.

She said the program was very useful for Cambodian university students to get new knowledge in ICT. Moreover, it gave an opportunity for the participants to understand the latest developments of ICT in China as well as the richness of Chinese culture and tradition.

"Through this course, we got insights into the latest developments in the global ICT industry, and also learned about the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, 5G, and the Internet of Things," Vilya said.

"In the future, I want to be a data scientist as well as a business analyst," she added.

Tep Keven, a senior ICT student at the state-run Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the course also offered an opportunity to experience virtual tours of Huawei's campuses in China and take part in virtual visits to Chinese historical sites.

"I hope the knowledge I learned from this program will be very useful to help advance the ICT sector in Cambodia," he told Xinhua. "In the future, I want to be a software developer."

"I'd like to thank Huawei for initiating and supporting this program, which is crucial to developing skilled ICT professionals, not only for Cambodia but also for many countries around the world," Keven said.

Cambodia's Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth congratulated all candidates for fruitfully completing this program.

"I expect that our students will become key pioneers for digital innovation in their respective countries, the region, and the world," he said at the event.

"I would like to express my strong appreciation and support for the government and the people of China, as well as Huawei Cambodia, for continuing to foster digital talents and digital development between countries, people, especially between students in our Asia region," he added.

The minister said the global experience and effort to fight against COVID-19 have shown clearly that digital technology is an integral part of the daily lives of people around the world.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian said the "Seeds for the Future" is vital to helping Cambodian youths learn the cutting-edge technologies and that the ICT accounts for an even more significant portion of economic activity around the globe, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"China and Cambodia are now building a community with a shared future, and ICT increasingly becomes an important field of cooperation between the two countries," he said.

"As is the name of this program, our young participants are the 'seeds' of the China-Cambodia friendship and are bound to flourish," Wang said. "I encourage you to aim high and work hard, and I hope that you will carry forward the building of a community with a shared future."

Launched in 2016 in Cambodia, the Seeds for the Future program of Huawei, a global tech giant, has been providing training opportunities for Cambodian youths to upgrade their ICT knowledge and skills.

Yao Yuya, CEO of Huawei Technologies Cambodia, said the younger generations are the hope of digital transformation and prosperity of every country.

"Huawei deeply values that and has trained over 1,000 ICT talents via projects like Seeds for the Future, university collaborations, scholarships and internship opportunities," he said.

"We will continue to work with various stakeholders to nurture Cambodia talents with Chinese culture and technology innovations, and to make greater contributions to the development of digital Cambodia," he added.