Queen Mary University of London has partnered with Huawei, a leading global telecommunications firm, to help students become employment ready.
Professor Edmund Burke, Vice Principal for Science and Engineering at Queen Mary, signed the MOU with Robert Yang, Managing Director of Huawei UK Enterprise Business Group, at a ceremony at Queen Mary’s Mile End campus on 28 November. The meeting launched the UK ICT Academy board, which also met for the first time.
Professor Burke will chair the UK ICT Academy advisory board, which is known as ‘HAINA’ (Huawei Authorised Information Network Academy). Through this partnership, Queen Mary students and staff will receive training in Huawei technology products. Staff can become certified ‘trainers’ of the products, and will be able to deliver short courses.
Professor Burke said: “We are very pleased to announce this partnership with Huawei. The fast pace of change in technology means that the education of the next generation is very important, and collaborations like this mean that we can give students the best start in their careers. I’m delighted to chair the advisory board to help further drive this programme in the UK.”
Mr Yang added: “The HAINA programme in the UK is part of a global initiative to drive STEM education and foster the next generation of ICT talents. This is a huge focus for Huawei and we are very happy to benefit from the experience that Professor Burke and other colleagues on the advisory board can offer. Queen Mary is a welcome addition to the programme and we look forward to helping to empower students with the latest ICT technology knowledge.”
Professor Simon Lucas, Head of Queen Mary’s School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), said: “This is an exciting new partnership that may benefit our students in many ways by giving them access to the latest industrial equipment and test harnesses, and also high-quality learning materials.
“Learning about things actually used by an industry giant like Huawei will provide a tangible benefit to our students and further boost their chances of enjoying a rewarding career in the rapidly evolving tech sector.”
Huawei is currently cooperating with over 240 universities to open Huawei ICT Academies across countries that include China, North America, Europe and Australia. Every year, the Academy trains over 16,200 students globally. The Huawei ICT Academy programme also runs a global annual ‘Skills Competition’ for students, giving local country winners the opportunity to visit China for the finals and compete with students from across the globe.
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