In collaboration with the Crown Prince Foundation, Huawei—a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices—has officially launched the third edition of its annual Huawei Middle East ICT Competition in Jordan. University students can now register for the competition through a dedicated website up until October 12, 2019.
The competition promotes innovation and creativity, acting as a bridge between the classroom and the workforce while supporting university students with an interest in the ICT field. The program also aims to increase national ICT competitiveness and develop a generation of ICT leaders ready to drive digital transformation forward.
Contestants will be tested on their knowledge of cloud computing, switching, routing, and network security. In addition, the competition gets participants up-to-date with the latest technologies such as IoT, AI, Big Data and most importantly 5G, the future technology which Huawei is leading globally and is set to disrupt the way business is carried out.
The competition comprises three stages: preliminaries, national finals, and an international final. The top preliminary teams will reach the national final stage, which will take place in Jordan. The national winners of the competition will not only receive certificates, trophies, and prizes, but will also have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to China and gain insider access to a top global ICT company.
Students will have unrivaled exposure to Huawei’s expertise in telecommunications, enterprise IT, and its consumer business. The program will also enable the participants to conduct field experiments at Huawei's specialized labs and research centers at its headquarters in Shenzhen, China. In 2018, a team of students from Al-Balqa Applied University and Princess Sumaya University for Technology walked away with the third-place prize at Huawei’s international finals.
On a regional level, over 14,000 students across the Middle East registered for the 2018 edition of the competition, from which nearly 5,000 attended. Over 200 students passed on to the national finals, and 39 traveled to China to compete internationally, representing 13 universities across the Middle East region.
His Excellency Mr. Muthanna Hamdan Gharaibeh, minister of digital economy and entrepreneurship, said: “While the government has led many initiatives to support academic advancement, public-private partnerships are crucial in today’s society. The talent gap is one that affects us all. We commend Huawei for recognizing this and taking a proactive approach to nurturing talent in Jordan’s technology industry—a sector that is increasingly important to the country’s economic future.”
His Excellency Mr. Nedal Faisal El-Batayneh, minister of labor, said: “The availability of world-class ICT talent is one of the major priorities for organizations today, and there is still a gap in certain fields. Closing this talent gap is especially important in countries like Jordan where new technologies are being adopted faster than ever before.”
Mr. Pan Weifang, ambassador of People’s Republic of China, added: "I was here to witness the opening of the first Huawei ICT Competition in Jordan, and I’m delighted to be here again for the third year. The competition is a great supporter of Jordan’s youth. I’m proud of all the efforts Huawei, in collaboration with the Crown Prince Foundation, to promote digitalization in the Kingdom.
The Chinese Ambassador added,” China is one of the largest countries supporting Jordan in the field of human resources, where china has offered around 480 training opportunities since last year till now.”
Dr. Tamam Mango, CEO of Crown Prince Foundation, noted: “The Huawei ICT Competition is aimed at universities and students with the intention to unearth the region’s finest ICT talent. Like Huawei, we share a mandate to support the governments’ digitization strategies, national visions, and the growth of critical industries. This competition will foster the development of the next generation responsible for driving that digital transformation.”
Mr. Taofeike, general manager of Huawei Jordan office, added: “We developed the Huawei ICT Competition to help engineers worldwide to get a head start in the digital workforce. Since its inception, the number of participating countries, universities and students has increased exponentially. Under the umbrella of the Huawei ICT Academy program, and leveraging our presence in over 170 countries, we feel we can deliver real impact in Jordan and on the global stage.”