ICT solutions providers, Huawei, announced that HMA Barbara Woodward, Britain’s Ambassador to China, hosted 42 undergraduates from the UK and Ireland at a reception in Beijing. Also in attendance was HE Paul Kavanagh, the Irish Ambassador to China.
The students, who come from some of the leading UK and Irish universities for STEM, are all participating in the Huawei ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme.
‘Seeds for the Future’ – Huawei’s flagship corporate responsibility programme – seeks to develop local ICT talent, enhance knowledge transfers and improve the skills and life chances of talented STEM undergraduates. Participating universities from the UK in the programme include the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Reading and Southampton.
The four-week programme in China starts with spending time in Beijing, where the undergraduates receive an introduction to Chinese culture and Mandarin. The students then spend time at Huawei’s Shenzhen campus learning about the technology industry and the long-term trends in mobile, networking and cloud computing. They will also take part in an ICT training course or undertake placements across the business.
Barbara Woodward commented: “Both the UK and China are committed to investment in technology collaboration and we recognise the importance of innovation and supporting the next generation.
“The British government is also keen to encourage young people to gain global experience and strengthen international links – particularly with China.
“I’m pleased to see Huawei’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ programme entering its fifth successful year. 2015 marks a great chapter in the UK-China relationship and we hope it will forge lasting China ties for these lucky students as they embrace opportunities for sharing knowledge and experience.”
Gordon Luo, Chief Executive for Huawei UK & Ireland, stated: “As a global leader in the technology industry, we believe we have a responsibility to nurture the next generation of talent, and it is encouraging to see this programme go from strength to strength each year. The UK and Ireland are important markets for us and we’re committed to encouraging ICT collaboration and developing the skills of talented young people in these countries.”
Huawei started the programme in the UK in 2011 and since then over 100 students have taken part. Huawei’s relationship with British universities is set to develop further, with Huawei aiming to take 50 UK students to China each year by 2017, as well as expanding this programme in Ireland.