by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – HUAWEI South Africa recently held the second of its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Academy Job Fairs in 2022.
The initiative designed to promote local Huawei-certified ICT Talent to Huawei partners and offer them the opportunity to advance their careers.
This year, the initiative is celebrating 48 colleges that have been registered as Huawei ICT Academies.
“That on its own is an achievement considering that this partnership with Huawei is just three years old,” said Tebogo Kekana, Principal of Sekhukhune Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College.
He is also the Limpopo Provincial Chairperson of South Africa Public Colleges Organisation (SAPCO).
“A lot of strides have been made and we urge certified colleges to maximise the opportunity to ensure that their learners and lecturers register for the courses offered,” Kekana added.
During the job fair, interviews were arranged for students with Huawei partners, giving them valuable experience as they enter the job market.
Twelve partner organizations including Altron, BCX, Sizwe, and Nexio were present at the fair offering 40 job opportunities.
The job fair also offers partners and ICT Academies the chance to learn the value of skills students pick up in the Huawei ICT Academy.
“By bridging the gap between learning and finding a career, the Huawei ICT Academy programme and the Job Fair events can speed up the process of moving you toward your career goals,” said Xola Pikoli, Chief Digital Officer at M Technologies.
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) is marking seven years of a successful partnership with Huawei.
“We are so delighted with this collaboration as we can see the positive results of building this ecosystem,” said Zamikhaya Maphundu, lecturer and WIL Coordinator at the TUT.
The lecturer said most their students are easily integrated into the workforce because of their relevant skills that are aligned with the industry.
“This is driven through upskilling programmes, where Huawei has been an especially helpful partner, assisting us through initiatives such as its ICT Skills Competition, Huawei Seeds for The Future, the Huawei Job Fair, and many more,” Maphundu said.
Lucky Koena Manamela, a graduate from TUT, now a contract employee at Mela Technologies after the July 2022 job fair shared his journey with Huawei ICT Academy.
“If it was not for Huawei ICT Academy, and the certifications within this program, I would’ve never gotten an invite to the job fair, and the HR of Mela Technologies would have not found me,” he said.
Huawei has actively invested in ICT talent development to assist South Africa’s digital transformation journey since 2017.
More than 5 000 students have been trained through the Huawei ICT Academy Programme to date and more than 150 students have successfully been placed in jobs through the Job Fairs.
Through these and other initiatives, including the Huawei Graduate Programme and Seeds for the Future, Huawei aims to boost South Africa’s ICT talent pipeline by some 10 000 people a year.
– CAJ News
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