Du, Huawei to empower UAE workforce

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) du signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei to foster development, enhance skill sets, and accelerate efforts to drive talent progression in the UAE through three core development programs.

As part of its long-standing partnership with Huawei, du will provide graduate trainees, technology professionals, and senior level professionals with key business competencies, knowledge, and technical skills. As part of the agreement, a competitive leadership training program will be held in the United Kingdom and Germany in collaboration with prestigious business schools and Huawei.

The CEOs of du and Huawei were present at the signing ceremony, which took place on April 18, 2022, at Al Salam Tower. This latest announcement also aligns with the National Agenda, which aims to improve homegrown talent in the job market and ensure they contribute to the economy through employment and entrepreneurship.

Commenting on the partnership, Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO, du, said: “Following the success of last year’s program, it is with great pleasure that we announce our renewed partnership with Huawei to offer a competitive training package to graduates and senior professionals, thereby equipping them with competitive knowledge against rapid digitalization. The advent of technologies such as Cloud, AI, Big Data, and 5G will make our society, economy, and life more colorful due to connectivity and intelligence. In the future, mankind will surely move into an intelligent world. As a pioneer in the future digital world, more knowledge about digital services will only improve readiness in the context of new business in the UAE, in line with the National Agenda.”

The du-Huawei internship program, developed in collaboration with Huawei, is a unique learning pathway that will support UAE graduate trainees for a period of 6-8 months, during which participants will engage with simulated customers’ business scenarios through online and onsite learning, case sharing, and practice-based training. The first learning phase, which will last five months as part of a technical specialist program, will focus on 5G education, 5G industry application, and basic IT knowledge.

Jerry Liu, CEO, Huawei, added: “The ICT industry will face significant challenges in the next decade regarding how to achieve tremendous success on the digital journey practically. Four phases are usually involved: network transformation, organization transformation, process streamlining, and talent development. Huawei has been in partnership with du for 14 years. Huawei is not only a world-leading network solution provider but also the best partner with du in business cooperation, talent development, and digital ecosystem partnership. Huawei hopes to support du to provide practical and positive support, especially in the talent development for digital transformation.”

The second training phase of the program will last five days and will take place in the UK and Germany in collaboration with prestigious business schools and Huawei to familiarize participants with 5G opportunities against the tide of digital transformation through collaborative leadership and agile approaches. A series of Emerging Technologies Webinars hosted by du-Huawei will also provide an overview of business use cases over a seven-month period. Graduate trainees, technology professionals, and senior level professionals will receive Huawei certifications for 5G, cloud computing, and the overall program upon completion.

du and Huawei have a long history of partnership, especially in ICT Technologies and Network Development. This is the second consecutive year both entities are to offer an industry training opportunity. In 2021, du and Huawei held the first Huawei Internship Development Program for graduate trainees in Technology, focusing on topics such as 5G and Cloud. This year, different stages to this learning partnership will be deployed, starting with the Joint Annual Training Plan Consulting, to support du’s HR effort in strengthening the talent transformation process. The goal is to align business expectations to the optimal and most suitable learning paths. As for national talents and Emirati specialists in du, programs are designed to upskill and improve their knowledge and experience on the latest ICT technologies, such as 5G and Cloud.