ICT Academy and other ways Huawei helps plug the global digital talent shortage

Gavin Allen: Can I just start by asking you: Is there a digital skills gap?

Pallavi Malhotra: Governments, vendors, and a range of independent and detailed reports all agree we have a global digital skills shortage. And the gap continues to increase. Even professionals working within the digital sector need to upskill in line with technological advances. So, yes, there is a lack of basic digital skills, but due to rapid development and new technologies, we also have a shortage of cutting-edge skills within the digital sector.

Gavin Allen: But why is there such a skill gap?

Pallavi Malhotra: It’s not simple to get staff trained at the same rate as technologies develop. Every company has to carefully balance business and staff training requirements. Due to the lack of qualified digital professionals, businesses find it difficult to recruit people with the required skills. Most businesses invest heavily in training, but face a retention challenge as, once trained, their staff tend to move companies for higher salaries.

Commercial training can be expensive, and for a range of reasons, people don’t necessarily have time to attend university or college. If industry knowledge was readily available and affordable and individuals could study flexibly to suit their lifestyle, then it would be much easier for the talent pool to grow.

Gavin Allen: So how can industry help more?

Pallavi Malhotra: Companies like Huawei are addressing some of these issues by putting industry knowledge directly into the hands of teachers and students. We currently do this through our Huawei ICT Academy Program, which offers technology training at both introductory and certification levels. All resources are available online too, which opens up the courses to not just computing and engineering students but to all students. They’re accessible 24/7 and kept fully updated by Huawei.

All universities and colleges can register to become a Huawei ICT Academy member and gain access to the free learning resources and simulation tools for practical lab exercises. We’ve developed a complete and robust talent eco-system specifically for academia in the hope that students gain globally recognized industry certifications – alongside their academic qualifications - whilst they are at university or college. These certifications inform employers about the skills and knowledge gained by the students and that opens up job opportunities when the young people apply for work. We have over 2000+ ICT academies globally, with 200+ located within the Europe Region offering Huawei Certification training to their students.

Gavin Allen: What areas of expertise and skills does the Academy focus on?

Pallavi Malhotra: We offer a range of training courses which include Artificial Intelligence, IoT, OpenEuler, OpenGauss, Big Data, Cloud Computing to name a few. Our courses are selected based on the technology’s maturity in the market and upcoming technologies with a growth trend where more jobs and new jobs will emerge.

The taster courses allow learners to sample the technology area and decide for themselves if it’s of interest, after which they can progress onto the Professional Certification courses if they wish.

Gavin Allen: When it comes to filling this skills gap, are educational institutions playing catch up?

Pallavi Malhotra: Yes, I would definitely say they are. Educational institutions don’t have the flexibility to change course structures quickly. It’s a lengthy process and has to go through many stages. By the time course changes are approved, technologies have moved on, so academia is still playing catch-up.

There is also a lack of teaching staff able to deliver training in up-coming technologies, similar to professionals working within the digital sector.

Many lecturers spend hours researching and creating their own materials for teaching, but this also creates inconsistency across the board.

Gavin Allen: Do we have to educate the educators as well?

Pallavi Malhotra: Yes, everyone requires training, and everyone needs to keep updated on the latest technological developments.

Gavin Allen: Why is there a particular shortage of girls and women with those digital skills? And again, what can companies such as Huawei do to address that problem?

Pallavi Malhotra: Half of the world’s population is female - a huge resource pool to tap into - but I don’t believe girls are encouraged to study STEM subjects at school. And by the time they move on to either college or university, they lack confidence in moving into STEM.

Huawei actively addresses the gender imbalance through various initiatives, such as showcasing female employees in technical and managerial roles, and encouraging female Huawei employees to take on higher-level management roles. In Africa, Huawei supported female business owners in learning digital technologies to support and grow their businesses, and in Bangladesh, Huawei supported a “Technology Bus,” which visited remote villages and provided digital training to women.

I'm passionate about getting young women into the digital sector. When I started my career in telecommunications engineering in 1976, after the UK sex discrimination act of 1975, everyone thought the ball would start rolling and more women would take on male-dominated job roles. But here we are 47 years later saying, “Where are the women?”

We still have a lot more work to do to encourage women into STEM.

Gavin Allen: What would you say to young women about tech careers and digital skills today?

Pallavi Malhotra: If I could make it in the 70s and 80s, when girls were actively discouraged from taking STEM subjects with a lack of support from teachers, career officers, and society in general, and with no female mentors to turn to for support and advice of any kind… it was very, very difficult. Luckily for me, my parents were fantastic; they gave me all the encouragement I needed to persevere and not give up at any stage, and my father fought for me to be allowed to take STEM subjects at school. Without their support, I may not have made it. Who knows?

I would say we need more encouragement for girls at all levels and by all key people in their lives: parents, teachers, careers advisors, mentors, and especially from women already working in STEM.

Gavin Allen: So, you believe there's an onus on companies to take the lead here? They can't leave the digital skills ecosystem to governments or educators; they've got to get on the front foot themselves?

Pallavi Malhotra:

Yes, absolutely. Employers need to take the lead and this is exactly what most large vendors are doing now.

Vendors are investing in Academy-type programmes to make resources available to academia and tapping directly into the student population in order to increase the digital talent pool.

There is also a requirement to upskill digital professionals, to ensure they’re up-to-date with emerging technologies. And to reskill unemployed people and those seeking a career change into the digital sector. We all need to approach this problem from all angles.

Millennials are very familiar with using devices and apps and feel comfortable with technology; it’s not just about knowing how to use it but also understanding how it works and being able to troubleshoot and solve problems.

Gain Allen: Are you confident that we're really addressing this skills gap?

Pallavi Malhotra:

I feel optimistic because these issues are now being actively addressed by governments, academia, and industry.  Technology is developing at such a rapid rate that, to a certain extent, we will always be playing catch-up. But we will also have a larger digital talent pool and choice for employers.

Gavin Allen: What is your message to policymakers, because a lot of this is probably a long-term investment?

Pallavi Malhotra:

Well, I believe governments around Europe have already recognized the need for not just academic skills but also vocational skills at all levels of education for learners aged 14+ at schools, colleges, and universities.

Apprenticeship-type programs were very big in my day. We were able to do our academic studies at college as well as learn on the job in the workplace to gain practical skills and build confidence and ability. These vocational types of programmes worked and now seem to be making a comeback.

For example, in the UK, the new T-level program is a vocational alternative to A Levels and requires learners to complete 315 hours in the workplace gaining hands-on practical skills.

Huawei took five T-Level learners over a 2-year period, due to end in the academic year 2022-23. The placement was successful, and we have received good feedback from both learners and the college staff.

We also invest in our Seeds for the Future program, which takes students to China, helps them understand how a multinational company like Huawei works, and provides technical and management training to support their future career choices.

Gavin Allen: Last question. If you had a magic digital wand and could change one thing in an instant, what would it be?

Pallavi Malhotra:

The main thing I would encourage or change is the level of engagement between academia and industry. More collaboration means we could provide the best of both worlds: supporting students into excellent careers within the digital sector and supporting employers with a larger talent pool, with the skillsets they require.

Academia and industry working hand-in-hand is the best way forward.