NINE Kenyan university students are in Shenzhen to participate in a two-week internship program sponsored by technology giant Huawei.
Speaking at a send-off ceremony for the interns last week, Victor Kyalo, principal secretary in the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICT), hailed the partnership with Huawei as facilitating skills transfer for the youth.
“Provision of ICT skills to the young generation is in line with Kenya’s digital transformation agenda. We look forward to a robust partnership with Huawei to bridge skills gap in the ICT sector,” Kyalo said.
The nine students who are participating in the 2016 Huawei Seeds for the Future Internship program were drawn from leading Kenyan universities.
Kyalo noted that since its launch in 2014, Huawei Seeds for the Future program has provided a platform for Kenyan youth to hone their skills in ICT.
“We require a critical pool of highly skilled youth to support implementation of a national ICT master plan. Their input in the rolling out of broadband infrastructure in rural areas is critical,” said Kyalo.
The two-week intensive training program for Kenyan students is being conducted at the global headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen.
After completing the two-week study tour in China, the students will also benefit from a two-month internship at Huawei offices in Kenya.
Dean Yu, CEO of Huawei in Kenya, said provision of high-end ICT skills to the youth will boost their career prospects.
“The two weeks spent in China is an opportunity for these top students to study and gain work experience as well as the exposure required to fit in a globalized business environment,” he said.
He added that Huawei aims to support the training of 100 Kenyan youth in high-end ICT courses by 2017. (Xinhua)
