Huawei has launched its largest-ever Seeds for the Future Program in the Asia Pacific, in collaboration with ASEAN Foundation and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
It will bring together 120 outstanding students from 16 countries across the Asia Pacific region for a 9-day cross-cultural, digital boot camp from August 19 to 27. They will propose technical solutions to social problems through Tech4Good projects while there. With 56 women among the 120 participants, the 2022 cohort is the most gender-balanced in the region since the program’s inception in 2008.
Future Seeds from Asia-Pacific The program will be held for the first time in 2022, after Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation signed an agreement to expand it. Participants will be hosted by TAT for a cultural tour of Bangkok. The three organizations hope to improve the program’s value and quality by working together.
The opening ceremony was attended by government officials and representatives of international organizations.
H.E. Jurin Laksanawisit, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, stated, at the moment, the public and private sectors are collaborating to increase ICT personnel in order to keep up with changing trends. He believes that co-training with leading specialized companies like Huawei will significantly improve educational quality and is an excellent step forward in digital development.
H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, emphasized that digital talent will be the driving force in the construction of a Digital ASEAN, and that the private sector can play a pioneering role in realizing this vision. This project demonstrates Huawei’s long-term commitment to collaborating and preparing ASEAN youth for the changing world of work and industry demands. He also congratulates the Huawei ASEAN Academy on its collaboration with local stakeholders in training 23,465 ICT professionals from Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
Dr. Yang Mee Eng, Executive Director of the ASEAN Foundation, stated that the growth of the ASEAN Digital Economy is entirely dependent on the region’s young people’s ability to participate in it. It is critical for ASEAN stakeholders to build a strong learning ecosystem that allows our youth to advance their digital skills. She went on to say that this event represents yet another successful collaboration between the ASEAN Foundation and Huawei in talent development.
President of Huawei Asia Pacific Simon Lin reiterated Huawei’s own commitment to talent development: “The Seeds represent hope, passion, and future. As the corporate-level flagship CSR project with the longest history, this program has been brought to nearly 140 countries and regions, reaching over 12,000 students from 500 universities. The ‘Seeds’ have grown to a global ‘forest'”.
H.E. Dr. Dipu Moni, Minister of Education of Bangladesh, spoke of how digital talent can bridge historical gender gaps, “It is increasingly important that we include our female students to STEM-based learning and creating an equal opportunity for them to grow. We are excited to have five excellent female young professionals from Bangladesh joining the camp, and I believe their success will empower more women to contribute to Bangladesh’s digital economy.”
Deputy Minister of Education of Thailand Khunying Kalaya Sophonpanich said that “The Seeds for the Future program is important for students interested in ICT and digital technologies as it fills the gap between theory and practice. Digital skills are regarded as one of the most significant areas in the Thai education sector.”
Krisada Kongkajan, Thailand’s Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Sengpraarthid Snookphone, Lao PDR’s Deputy Permanent Representative to ASEAN, Atsuko Okuda, ITU Asia-Pacific Regional Director, and Libing Wang, UNESCO Chief of Section for Educational Innovation and Skills Development, all agreed that this is an excellent platform for regional youth exchange.
Dr. Yang Mee Eng of the ASEAN Foundation, TAT’s Deputy Governor for Digitization Research and Development Nithee Seeprae, Huawei Asia Pacific President Simon Lin, and Huawei Thailand CEO Abel Deng jointly announced the program’s official launch. The TAT then presented participants with Ambassador Certificates. The ceremony concluded with 16 Seeds representatives performing ‘Dream it Possible’ in their respective languages.
