James Kon
Cooperation between universities and enterprises can be key in promoting a solution to the talent dilemma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Huawei Technologies (B) Sdn Bhd Zhang Jianwei said.
“The purpose of the HAINA programme is to promote the development and dissemination of ICT technologies, cultivate ICT talent for society and meet the long-term talent requirements of the ICT industry,” he said at a ceremony where Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and Huawei Technologies (B) Sendirian Berhad joined forces to establish a Huawei ICT Academy Lab at the university to cultivate ICT talents among the students to prepare them to be future-ready for ICT developments in Brunei Darussalam.
UTB is the first university in the Sultanate to become a part of the Huawei ICT Academy that has a presence in 72 countries.
Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman launched the Huawei ICT Academy lab located within the UTB campus yesterday morning.
“In practice, however, the cooperation between universities and enterprises can be difficult to implement. The integration of industry and education has encountered a bottleneck. There are three main reasons”.
“The talent cultivation model of collaborating and cultivating people isn’t fully developed. Generally, collaboration between universities and enterprises is spontaneous and shallow.”
“Some enterprises aren’t active in the training process, and they aren’t aligned with the talent cultivation goals of universities. The content of the courses doesn’t match the professional standards, and the teaching process isn’t aligned with the industry’s production processes. The prioritisation of theories over practices is an ongoing problem,” Zhang said.
He added, “There are problems in colleges and universities, such as teachers lacking motivation to participate in industry-education cooperation projects and a lack of desire to learn among students.
“The challenge is to achieve efficient communication between the ICT industry and the education industry and solve the talent shortage problem. In 2020, the world faced the COVID-19 pandemic which affected industries globally, causing major disruptions especially in the educational system.
“Despite the setback, new technologies were introduced to serve the majority by providing online systems to continue the grooming efforts of the new generations ahead. Huawei has no plans to stop here, but to continue evolving new technologies.”
Vice-Chancellor of UTB Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman said, “The academy is equipped with IP network equipment and products donated by Huawei. Huawei also provides the training material which are in line with the trend of ICT networking technology, as well as, networking simulator software that allows participants to design small and medium-sized networks prior to practical implementation.
“With support from Huawei, the academy is able deliver industry-standard trainings that offer hands-on experience required to potentially fill the ICT skill gaps for future workforce.”
Under Huawei Authorised Information and Network Academy (HAINA), the Huawei ICT Academy Lab is offering Huawei certification-related courses to provide participants with the knowledge of computer networking concepts using Huawei’s enterprise networking equipment and products to prepare them for an examination leading to being certified as a Huawei Certified ICT Associate – Routing and Switching (HCIA-R&S).
Forty-two students participated as the first cohort of the course which commenced on February 20 for this year’s February and March intake.
Participants studied how computer networks are designed and structured to be able to provide networking services.
They also learnt about network security and how to ensure that the networks remain resilient and adaptable to changes. Participants will be able to set up and manage small-to medium-sized networks which utilise Huawei’s networking devices. They will then undergo certification examination, which will help them learn more complex concepts of networking.
The minister also presented certificates to participants.
Deputy Minister of Education Datin Seri Paduka Dr Hajah Romaizah binti Haji Mohd Salleh, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam Yu Hong, Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Dr Haji Azman bin Ahmad, and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the MoE Dr Chin Wei Keh were
also present.