Mobily, Huawei launch first ICT academy in KSA

Mobily, a Saudi telecommunications services company, and Huawei, a global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, have launched the first joint ICT academy in the Kingdom.

The academy’s opening ceremony was held on Thursday at the Mobily headquarters, in the presence of Maziad Al-Harbi, chief technology officer at Mobily, and Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia CEO Zhang Dongliang.

By collaborating for the establishment of the first joint ICT academy among operators in Saudi Arabia, Mobily and Huawei aim to minimize the gap between the Vision 2030 talent demand and the supply in the ICT industry.

Both Mobily and Huawei have developed a new program to embrace the 2030 ICT vision — which provides Mobily ICT employees with knowledge, equips them with the needed skills for future challenges and ultimately develops the Saudi ICT sector.

Mobily CTO Al-Harbi said: “We are passionate to join forces with Huawei to ensure that Saudi Arabia remains at the forefront of the latest trends and technologies. Innovation is vital to enabling the Kingdom to transform into a digital country, and at Mobily we are committed to deploying the most advanced technologies. That is why we are aiming to cultivate 300 Huawei-certified ICT talents for Mobily before 2020.”

Huawei CEO Dongliang said: “We are proud that Mobily has selected Huawei as a partner to help them align with the Kingdom’s vision. Our vision is to empower this region’s generation and develop the necessary talents and skills that would help accelerate the country’s digital transformation.”

College students who have demonstrated interest in the ICT sector will also get a chance to enroll at the joint ICT academy. The academy hosts multiple creative learning resources such as books, lab guides, e-learning (cloud learning) and online tests, along with various simulation tools.