Huawei launches two centres to harness youths’ capabilities in ICT

AMMAN — China-based multinational telecom company Huawei on Tuesday launched two centres for the development of youth capabilities in the field of ICT, which contributes about 12 per cent to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product annually.

The first centre is dedicated to the training of human resources in ICT, while the other will serve as a regional centre to train cadres on improvement of telecom networks and quality of services, according to officials.

The opening of the two centres is in line with an agreement signed between Huawei and the ICT Ministry during a visit by His Majesty King Abdullah to China in 2015.

“Jordan places a heavy emphasis on partnering with global companies in the field to attract them to the Kingdom through signing several agreements and memoranda of understanding,” ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh said in a statement to The Jordan Times.

“Jordan aspires and works to become a regional ICT centre,” said the minister, stressing the importance of the two facilities.

She said the ministry has launched several programmes and initiatives to bridge the gap between graduates’ skills and labour market needs, including the Knowledge Stations project, and others for employment and training of young people in collaboration with the private sector.

Shweikeh said the centres will play a key role in enabling young people to join the local, regional and international markets in the sector.

Labour Minister Nidal Katamine said the opening of these centres will increase the capabilities of Jordanian graduates, adding that there will be coordination between the ministry and Huawei through the organisation of several job fairs.

In October 2015, the government announced plans for launching a strategy that would function as a roadmap to make Jordan a regional ICT hub.

The strategy reinitiates the REACH initiative that Jordan first launched in 1999.

The 2016-2025 initiative will work on finding practical solutions to challenges facing the sector. 

The strategy focuses on the development of human resources, facilitating access to finance and enhancing infrastructure to create jobs.