The HEART/NSTA-VTDI (Vocational Training Development Institute) is set to benefit from a major contribution from tech giant Huawei through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed at the company’s Hope Road head office on Thursday.

Huawei handed over several types of equipment to the VTDI, the tertiary institution for the HEART/NSTA Trust. The VTDI is the second academic institution in Jamaica that the tech company has partnered with to establish its Huawei ICT Academy, the first being The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona.

Under the MOU Huawei will also provide training in PV solar technician, IP certification, fibre optics technology, and telecom frequency and technology.

“Huawei will be providing over US$100,000 worth of equipment and training to HEART and to the VTDI to be able to deliver this training to young Jamaicans to develop ICT talents. We believe that there is a great demand for the ICT skill set in Jamaica and around the region,” said director, enterprise business group at Huawei Courtney Hamilton.

Bo Zhou, country manager, Huawei Technologies Jamaica said the Huawei ICT Academy will contribute to the digital transformation of the country through the use of ICT technology.

“The ICT industry and the green energy industry are growing rapidly and so talent is key for the country’s development. There is a huge demand for the ICT professional talents in the industry and we realise that, and as a company in Jamaica, Huawei would like to contribute to this country’s development,” Zhou said.

The Huawei team was joined by minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister Floyd Green and members from HEART who witnessed the historical and celebratory moment.

For the past 15 years Huawei has been working with local communication service providers in Jamaica to provide innovative ICT solutions leading to digital transformation and growth of ICT in the country.

Zhou also added, “So today the collaboration between VTDI and Huawei is a mutual beneficial partnership that will provide students with more practical experience and employment opportunities. The VTDI and Huawei ICT Academy is going to play an important role in Jamaica’s digitalisation.”

“The Government sees this as a tremendous opportunity in the ICT space for small, identical space to be able to take advantage of the changes that are happening to leverage technology to ensure that the people are at the forefront of the changes. We believe in order to embrace the change that is happening across the world and in order to develop a digital society, then a foundation must start with training,” Green said.

Director Principal VTDI Delize Williams echoed similar sentiments, saying that the VTDI is excited about this partnership and grateful to Huawei for the opportunity.

“This partnership with Huawei, therefore, is very important to us. The partnership we’ve been brought upon today will provide opportunity for the VTDI and Huawei to collaboratively promote the development of Jamaica’s local ICT talent. It will provide a bridge between industry and the institution and create employment opportunities for certified talent. This partnership aligns with VTDI’s mandate, to train and certify professionals,” Williams stated.

Huawei now provides employment for more than 50 people with 80 per cent of them being Jamaicans. The company believes that solar energy will take off in Jamaica in a huge way, and with such assertation the decision was made to partner with the institution to train technicians, citing that they will be needing hundreds of them to be employed in the field.

Huawei has been contributing to ICT development and contributing to education through the Seeds for the Future programme as well as making donations of their Idea Hub and technology devices in schools across Jamaica.