Huawei’s ‘1000 Talented Women’ scholarship open till year end

Despite the slow uptake in the initial roll-out of the ‘1000 Talented Women’ scholarship programme offered by Huawei, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico late last year, César Funes, vice-president of public affairs in Latin America (LATAM) and the Caribbean, said the programme will remain open for applicants to register online by year end.

Funes told journalists at the LATAM information and communications technologies (ICTs) Congress 2022, hosted by Huawei and sponsored by International Telecommunication Union and GSMA Intelligence in Cancún, Mexico, that only 130 applicants had taken advantage of the opportunity in the span of three months.

This was a considerably slower uptake than anticipated, given the impact of the pandemic on many industries and on individuals.

SCHOLARSHIP

As a result, the scholarship’s previous restrictions have been relaxed to not only include women in the ICT careers, but to individuals with a burning interest in the field of study.

The programme, which comes under the Huawei ‘Tech4All’ initiative, is available on the Huawei website and offers certification in the ICT field.

Courses will commence September 24, but the offer will remain up until year end for applicants.

The examinations that follow the study of the courses taken, which have an undisclosed cost, will be provided as a scholarship to interested persons.

Currently, 500 spots remain available in what is now the second phase of the programme, Funes said.

He emphasised that there is a need for Huawei to increase its regional presence, cultivate more talent, support operators in changing their business models, and help nations create a market for innovative products and services.

He added that the programme was part of the company’s “corporate and social responsibility” in promoting female digital development and bridging the digital divide and gender gap in the region, as well as increasing women’s ability to compete in the ICT sector.

The request for applications for the initiative includes Jamaica and 13 other Caribbean countries.

Each nation will have access to 30 scholarships for female students, professionals, or academics.

“The needs are unlimited, especially in regions like ours, so we decided to launch certain programmes that have the ability to be deployed easily in our region,” he said of the scholarship programme.

Asha Wilks