Hashim Ali
When I saw 2022 Seeds for the Future notice from HEC website and social platform, It recalled me a great memory about excellent experience in 2021. One of Huawei’s most prestigious programs to cultivate local ICT talent and sow its investment in the country’s potential has been its ‘Seeds for the Future Program’, first launched in Pakistan in 2015. As part of the cross-cultural learning program, leading engineering students (picked by HEC with rigorous criteria) of the country come together for training sessions.
I still have vivid recollections of Huawei SFTF 2021 and it fills me up with the same excitement I had when I first heard the news of my enrollment. I loved each and every moment of the week-long ICT Training. During the one week online learning, students from Pakistan received technical training from Huawei and industry ICT experts, who shared their expertise on courses covering a wide range of topics like the Chinese language, strategic leadership, 5G, cloud computing, AI etc. Students were required to finish a number of compulsory courses and get a minimum of 60 marks on the test at the end of the course. Out of the 40 students, 30 successfully passed the course and got the graduation certificate. The top ten students also received awards, like Huawei Free Buds, Huawei Pad or Huawei Nova 7i mobile phone.
From connecting with the best ICT students in the country, learning the courses like 5G & Cloud, leading a team to runner up position in solving a national problem, to representing Pakistani Culture in front of fellows from China and Bahrain, it was truly an amazing journey for me. I was also very fortunate to be part of virtual visit to Huawei Headquarters Experience Center and foreseeing the latest Huawei 5G Equipment. In addition, we also got a chance to explore Chinese culture and the virtual visit to The Forbidden City was the main highlight of it. A truly remarkable archaic masterpiece!
The things which I learnt in sessions on leadership helped me land many good opportunities to jump-start a great career in the ICT industry.
The recognition and appreciation we got after the program from our University, Higher Education Commission and Huawei has been truly remarkable. The students who performed well in the training were also awarded for their extraordinary efforts. Moreover, the Alumni network of Seeds on LinkedIn is also a huge bonus in getting necessary guidance to pursue a career in the ICT industry.
I am thankful to Huawei for appreciating the role that local talent plays, recognizing the boom of motivated young people, in contributing to a more intelligent, connected world. A large part of Huawei’s CSR effort has been focused on talent ecosystem development — wanting to help the upcoming generations reach their fullest potential by becoming tomorrow’s technology leaders, innovators, and pioneers. This program is meant to further develop their inclusion in our global digital society. Students come out of this program as young professionals, ready for the marketplace, both local and global.
In conclusion, the program taught us how a technology solution can be a best solution to solve a problem and as I am ready to pursue to a career in ICT industry, I will work hard to improve my ICT knowledge and become a great problem solver in the ICT community. I am proud to say that it has been one of the best experiences of my life and I hope many more generations will enjoy it as much as I did. Pakistan is a great country with unlimited potential, possessing the core strength of youth, I’m sure that the Seeds Alumni and future students will become the core contributors to the development of Pakistan’s future.
Wittier is student of Air University, Islamabad
