TECH NEWS | ASEAN Foundation, Huawei join hands to bridge digital talent gap in Asia-Pacific

The ASEAN Foundation and Huawei signed MoU on joint efforts to bridge the digital talent gap at the Asia Pacific Innovation Day – Digital Talent Summit 2021 on Wednesday. The online summit brought together policy makers, researchers and industry experts to share solutions and best practices in building a sustainable ecosystem that will help foster digital talents in the Asia Pacific.

“The Digital Talent Summit 2021, which aims to discuss and address the needs of ASEAN ICT youth talent, is obviously very relevant, especially in the midst of the global pandemic which forced us to significantly rely more on digital platform,” said H.E. Robert Matheus Michael Tene, deputy secretary-general of ASEAN for ASEAN Political Security Community . “This auspicious event is very much aligned with the ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025 objective of improving people’s capability to participate in the digital society economy.”

The Asia Pacific Innovation Day – Digital Talent Summit 2021 started strongly with a series of keynote speeches from governments’ leaders such as Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political Security Community H.E. Robert Matheus Michael Tene, Chair of the ASEAN Digital Senior Official Meeting H.E. Dato’ Sri Mohammad Mentek, the Philippine Ambassador to China H.E. Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia H.E. Dr. Chea Vandeth, the Chief of Presidential Staff of the Republic of Indonesia H.E. General TNI (Purn) Dr. Moeldoko, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Sri Lanka Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, and Permanent Secretary of Thailand Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation H.E. Prof. Sirirurg Songsivilai, M.D., Ph.D. Their speeches stressed on the importance of key stakeholders’ proactive participation in developing a solid foundation for digital talent ecosystem in the region.

“Today’s program is vital in the achievement of nurturing the young talent who would be at the forefront of future developments in the digital world, said H.E. Jose Santiago L.Sta. Romana, Philippine ambassador to China. “The Philippines has engaged major technology companies in the region to actively speed up the adoption of several digital technologies in extending services to the public and to immerse the population, particularly young Filipinos in the digital realm, to improve their familiarity and raise broad-based skills in the use of modern and up-to-date digital technologies. For instance, in improving the Philippines’ telecommunications industry and infrastructure, Chinese technology and telecommunications companies such as Huawei have entered into joint venture arrangements and other forms of collaborations with domestic firms.”

The importance of digital talent in sustainable development was emphasised in the virtual roundtable discussion involving notable speakers from UNESCO, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Maxis.

“Innovation and development rely on a talent ecosystem. Huawei is prepared to work with its partners to build a talent development ecosystem conducive to innovation,” said Catherine Chen, Huawei senior vice president & board member, during her opening remarks. “Huawei’s 20 years in Asia Pacific have been a journey to find like-minded friends. Let’s work together to build an inclusive, innovative, and vibrant ecosystem, attract and cultivate more digital talent, and jointly promote the development and prosperity of the region.”

Another key activity of the summit is presentation of Huawei’s 2022 Asia Pacific Digital Talent Insights. The white paper, which was presented by Senior Consultant for National Digital Talent Development Alex Lee, chronicled the tech company’s efforts and journey in fostering digital talent in Asia Pacific.

“Cultivating innovative ICT talent ecosystem is fundamental to the digital transformation. Leveraging shared innovations with win-win outcomes, we can harness the power of ICT skills to
fly us into a digital future,” said Jeffery Liu, president of Huawei Asia Pacific, in his keynote speech. “Together with our partners, Huawei will invest $50 million in the next 5 years to develop 500,000 digital talents in the Asia Pacific region.”

The commitment to bridge digital talent gap in Asia Pacific, in particular ASEAN, was further strengthened with the signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN Foundation and Huawei ASEAN Academy. The agreement highlights both entities’ readiness to implement ASEAN Seeds for the Future, which is a scaled-up version of Seeds for the Future, Huawei’s global CSR flagship initiative that has been providing world class digital skills training for young people across the globe since 2008. Through ASEAN Seeds for the Future, ASEAN Foundation and Huawei ASEAN Academy strive to build the digital capacities of youth in the ten ASEAN Member States so that they can thrive in the era of digital economy.

The ceremony was attended by Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation Dr. Yang Mee Eng and Vice President of Huawei Indonesia Albert Yang, and witnessed by Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Cambodia to ASEAN H.E. Amb. Yeap Samnang, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political Security Community H.E. Robert Matheus Michael Tene, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines to ASEAN Elizabeth Te, Deputy Permanent Representative of Republic of Singapore to ASEAN Tham Borg Tsien, and Huawei Asia Pacific Vice President Jay Chen.

The ASEAN Seeds for the Future will also help contribute to achieving the objectives of ASEAN Digital Masterplan 2025, which are to increase the capacity of youth in the region to participate in the digital economy and to create a digitally inclusive society in ASEAN. The ASEAN Seeds for the Future is set to launch in early 2022, inviting youth aged 15 – 30 in ASEAN to immerse themselves in a virtual journey of capacity building on leadership and digital skills.

“We are delighted to sign the memorandum of understanding with Huawei to implement ASEAN Seeds for the Future,” said Dr. Yang Mee Eng, executive director of ASEAN Foundation. “It is my belief that this wonderful regional programme will play an important part in bridging digital talent gap in the region by equipping our ASEAN youth with essential skills that will enable them to thrive in the era of digital economy. Our partnership with Huawei also signifies another important milestone for ASEAN in regards to bringing in committed partners from private sector to contribute to youth development effort in ASEAN.”