Building on its success of it’s in the region, Huawei launched the sixth edition of the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition under the patronage of H.E. Eng. Haytham AlOhali, Vice Minister of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT), and in the representatives from the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), and Saudi universities. The Sixth edition of the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition which will run in Saudi Arabia and 9 other countries in the region is a critical initiative in the Middle East, as it prepares the next generation of leaders for an intelligent world where every person, home and organization is fully connected. Combining the company’s CSR goal of nurturing local ICT talent with its vision to build the local ICT ecosystem, Huawei aims to equip countries in the Middle East to pursue their national agendas for digital transformation. Throughout the competition phases, students will gain knowledge and experience in the latest ICT technologies through course material on advanced IP and IT and get a glimpse of 5G technology which is set to disrupt the way business is carried out and people interact. The competition promotes innovation and creativity among students, while increasing competitiveness and encouraging local communities to contribute to achieving the country’s national vision for digital transformation and economic growth. It will also enhance students’ future employment opportunities by bridging the gap between the classroom and the workplace and providing hands-on skills development training at Huawei’s state of the art labs, R&D centers and facilities. H.E. Eng. Haytham AlOhali, Vice Minister at MCIT, commented, “This is a fantastic opportunity to advance our students into the digital era by offering them superior technical ICT experience in the latest cutting-edge technologies and trends under the tutelage of a global ICT leader like Huawei. This competition will equip young talents with the necessary skills to take lead in achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s national agendas and Saudi Vision 2030.” Eric Yang, CEO of Huawei Saudi Arabia said: “We would like to thank H.E. Eng. Haytham AlOhali, Vice Minister of MCIT, and all our local partners for their support in this exciting initiative. We are committed to supporting the local government in achieving the goals of their national agendas for digitalization and diversification, and the ICT Competition, which promotes knowledge transfer and sharing across the region, has a key role to play. As we move forward to build an intelligent world, we believe nurturing local young talents will yield a generation of ICT leaders who are ready to lead their countries into the next stage of digital transformation.” The last iteration of the completion in the Kingdom last year saw the participation of 1,800 students from major universities and educational institutions, and six participated in the international final. This year, as in last, national winners from Saudi Arabia and other participating countries trip to the final ceremony in December this year. This will give them an opportunity to meet the brand’s leadership and a priceless cultural and knowledge exchange experience. The international finalists will receive certificates, trophies, prizes and a top prize of US$ 20,000 for the winning team, and employment opportunities for the most outstanding candidates. The trip will provide participants with real life experiences in the Huawei laboratories centers and facilities, and will equip them to tackle complex challenges in areas such as cloud computing, IoT, and network security by taking advantage of Huawei experts’ insights and opinions. In addition to technical training.