Huawei and Partners Propose a Five-point ICT Talent Framework for Thailand

In October, at the Mobile BroadBand Forum 2022 in Bangkok, MDES, MHESI, and Huawei had co-launched a white paper about Thailand Digital Talent Development. The document focuses on the digital divide in Thailand, caused by rapid growth of digital economy. According to the white paper, the digital economy will increase its contribution to 30% of Thailand’s GDP by 2027. The white paper is the basis of the renewed collaboration that will lead to the development of the national master plan for ICT skills development, in alignment with the 5th Digital Technology Development Master Plan (2022-2027).

Acting Capt. Montree Munkong, Advisor to Minister, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society said: “Today, Thailand continues to face digital inequality between urban and rural communities. Therefore, MDES thanks Huawei for arranging the ICT Competition 2022-2023 that is another step to cultivate a generation of skilled digital talent that are important for developing an inclusive, high quality, and sustainable digital ecosystem in Thailand.”

Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation said: “Rapid digital transformation has resulted in a digital skilled worker shortage. We must urgently develop ICT skills and equip younger generations with advanced ICT knowledge. Huawei will be the key partner from the private sector supporting the creation of skilled ICT workforce as well as elevating ICT talent development policy towards national master plan, including hosting ICT Competition 2022-2023 to build our digital talent pool.”

Prof. Dr. Supachai Pathumnakul, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation

Abel Deng, President of Huawei Asia-Pacific Carrier Business Department, said, “Talent cultivation is no longer the responsibility of government or academia only. Instead, it needs long-term and collaborative efforts between the government, industry, academia and society. Therefore, for Huawei, as a digital transformation enabler and social value contributor, we are committed to do our part. By investing in digital talent development, we hope to foster a win-win and positive business ecosystem.”

Abel Deng, President of Huawei Asia-Pacific Carrier Business Department

The Thailand National Digital Talent Development White Paper, in collaboration with global consultancy Roland Berger, recommends a holistic five-point framework to bridge Thailand’s digital talent gap, with collaborative efforts by the Government, the private sector, and academia. It includes: 1) policymaking, standardization, and monitoring; 2) skill development; 3) career and job matching; 4) infrastructure development; and 5) funding and sponsorship.

Huawei has launched the ICT Competition since 2015 which has benefited over 1,000 leading Thai university students. This year, through digital talent development program ‘Huawei ICT Competition 2022-2023 Thailand’, Huawei plans to sharpen the ICT knowledge of around 200 talented youths. This program will run from December 9, 2022, to March 2023, consisting of ICT competition training and exam certification until the reward announcement and Job fair.

Over the past few years, Huawei ASEAN Academy (Thailand) has helped develop more than 26,000 ICT personnel and partnered with 37 leading higher education institutions. Going forward, Huawei aims to train over 10,000 digital youths in 2023 alone, and keep implementing the key suggestions brought by the white paper in future years.

“Huawei hopes that this forum will promote ICT workforce development policy formulation towards the country’s master plan and the launch of the ICT Competition 2022-2023 will help bridge the digital divide, connect Thailand with other countries, and enhance ICT competency for Thai talent to meet global standards. This will create a sustainable future for digital ecosystem to flourish, reinforcing Huawei’s mission ‘Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand’,” concluded Deng.

Huawei isn’t new to ITC talent development in Thailand. This past August, it held in Bangkok its first Asia-Pacific Seeds for the Future program where talent youth from 16 countries discovered Thailand while also taking part in an intense 15-day tech bootcamp. v