Huawei's flagship global CSR (corporate social responsibility) program is called 'Seeds for the Future,' taking top students to China for a three-week work experience program, and the 2017 list has been announced.
The leading ICT students have been selected from Australian Technology Network of University (ATN) institutions - RMIT, The University of South Australia, Queensland University of Technology, University of Technology Sydney and Curtin University; and also from James Cook University*. Forty percent of the students are women.
The students will join senior ICT lecturers on a three-week, hands-on learning experience across Beijing and Shenzhen, China departing on 25 November.
In collaboration with the Federal Government and the ATN, Huawei selected top performing students to travel to China and learn about the next generation of technology transforming the global economy including 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing.
{loadposition alex08}iTWire was lucky enough to travel to China with Huawei in 2016 to see part of that year's Seeds of the Future program in action, with the trip and a series of video interviews documented in an article entitled: "VIDEOS 2016: Huawei’s ‘Seeds for the Future’ reap rich harvests."
As noted in that article, Huawei is a very impressive R&D world leader, spending $USD 46 billion on R&D over the last decade and having a richly varied list of products and services for telcos, businesses, governments and consumers to show for it, as well as massive sales that have propelled Huawei from a bit player into a global powerhouse up there with the top brands worldwide, even battling Apple for smartphone supremacy.
The Seeds for the Future program is yet another impressive aspect of Huawei, and with support from the "Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan Mobility program, the ATN and Huawei will increase the total number of students travelling over the next three years to 75, allowing more students to experience working life at a global ICT giant."
Huawei Australia Chairman, John Lord AM said: “Through Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program, students will gain first hand multinational experience within the ICT sector, while learning how to be effective in a multicultural environment like Shenzhen.
“We hope this investment in Australia’s high-tech future will inspire these bright young minds to drive the industry of tomorrow. We’re extremely proud to be working with ATN and the Federal Government in an effort to identify tomorrow’s leaders within the Australian ICT sector."
ATN Executive Director, Renee Hindmarsh said: "The ATN’s five Universities, one door approach to industry collaboration has allowed for students to engage and fully immerse themselves in a multi-faceted programme. Our partnership with Huawei and the Australian Government will give these high achievers invaluable hands-on experience within their chosen disciplines and assist them in their future careers."
Since 2013, Huawei Australia notes having "provided over 50 Australian undergraduates with the opportunity to learn about China and to experience Huawei’s dynamic global business – an invaluable opportunity to any tertiary student wanting to gain international experience."
Program alumnus Grant Kennedy, one of the 12 selected students in the 2016 program said, "This trip allowed me to experience China first-hand and has provided me with a greater understanding of Chinese culture and customs. I am also grateful for the opportunity to gain experience in the fields of networking and telecommunications with Huawei.
"The training of fixed and mobile networking, with the resources provided by Huawei, is unobtainable at university. I leave China with new ICT skills which I would not have been able to gain otherwise. I believe that this valuable experience will give me an edge over other engineers in what has become an increasingly competitive scene."
The full list of students selected to participate in Huawei’s 2017 Seeds for the Future delegation includes:
- Aditya Prabhakara (RMIT)
- Alex Case (RMIT)
- Genevieve Houghton (RMIT)
- Joshua Schoenmaker (RMIT)
- Tanan Hawkins (RMIT)
- Marcela Klocher (RMIT)
- Sammie Duong (RMIT)
- Nikil Kathiravan (UniSA)
- Oliver Cavies (UniSA)
- Eloise L’Estrange (QUT)
- Emma Anderson (QUT)
- Jenny Nguyen (QUT)
- James Skidmore (QUT)
- Christopher Doran (QUT)
- Thomas Reidy (QUT)
- Sweeta Chand (UTS)
- Johny Young Li (UTS)
- Matthew Rabjones (Curtin University)
- Stanley Su (Curtin University)
- Herman Oliver (Curtin University)
- Corey Smith (JCU)
- Keisha Battistin (JCU)
- Wilson Bow (JCU)
- Aliesha Smith (JCU)
More information about Huawei’s Seeds for the Future program is at Huawei's global website here.
