Omani students shine at Huawei competition in China

Muscat: Two teams of outstanding university students from Oman have done the Sultanate proud at Huawei’s International ICT Skill Competition finals and award ceremony in Shenzhen, China this week.

The First team consisting of Amira Marrei, Marwan Al Saifi and Amani Al Bulushi, won third place overall, while members of the second team Aisha Al Zadjali, Afraa Al Kaabi and Aaisha Al Hosni, received an Excellence Prize. The winners were selected following a grueling 5 months of qualifying rounds that saw participation from thirteen teams across 10 countries in the Middle East. Oman shone at the event, winning several awards, including Excellent Tutor for Hiyam Ahmed Yousuf Al Harthi, and Excellent Academy for the Higher Colleges of Technology.

The final leg of the journey brought 13 finalist teams to China, which included 15 female students from the region. The finalists competed in day-long finals, participated in a technology workshop by global ICT experts, witnessed a high-level panel discussion by senior delegates from eight Middle East countries to China, and were invited to attend the ICT Talent Cultivation Summit.

The award ceremony was attended by senior Huawei executives, including Ms. Chen Lifang, Corporate Senior Vice President of Huawei Technologies, Mr. Simon Lacey, Vice President of Huawei Global Government Affairs Department, and Mr. Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East. His Excellency Abdullah Al Saadi, Omani Ambassador to China, delivered the award to the winning team on stage, in the presence of other senior representatives from participating countries’ embassies and consulates. Other high-ranking government officials at the event included Mr. Ding Lianpu, Director of the Center for China-Foreign People-to-People Exchanges in China’s Ministry of Education, and Professor Zhao Jianhua, Deputy Director for the International Center for Higher Education Innovation at UNESCO.

In addition to a US$ 30,000 cash prize for the most outstanding team, Huawei awarded certificates, trophies, and prizes to two runner-up teams and three third place teams. The next seven teams received Excellence Prizes, while six tutors and five academic institutions received the Excellent Tutor and Best Academy Prizes. But more importantly, the all-expense paid trip gave the finalists invaluable exposure to a leading global company’s expertise and a priceless cultural experience.

“Building a pool of high quality ICT talent is a critical success factor for governments aiming to transition to knowledge-based economies. As one of the world’s leading innovators, knowledge-transfer has always a core pillar of the Huawei ethos. Combining this with our commitment to support governments in the region as they work towards achieving their national vision goals, we are proud of the ICT Skill Competition and all that it has achieved over the past six months. The platform has demonstrated beyond a doubt that the young talent in the region has the potential to mature into world-class experts. Today, we re-dedicate ourselves to working even more closely with students across the region to better equip the next generation of technology leaders,” said Charles Yang, President, Huawei Middle East.

In Oman, students from Sultan Qaboos University and the Higher College of Technology came forward to participate in an initiative that was supported by the Ministry of Manpower as well as the Chinese Embassy in Oman.

All participants underwent highly selective examinations at the national level. Participants worked in real laboratories and tackled some of the industry’s most complex challenges related to cloud computing, switching, routing, and other key ICT solutions and technologies related to digital transformation.

In partnership with 14 government ministries, the Huawei Middle East ICT Skill Competition 2017 was hugely successful in its mission to unearth and cultivate the region’s finest ICT talent, bringing together more than 10,285 students from 121 educational institutions. The 13 finalist teams had a unique opportunity to learn from Huawei’s leading global ICT on an all-expense paid trip to Huawei’s headquarters in China.