Commitment to Youth Empowerment for connected, digital, intelligent future: Asia-Pacific Digital Talent Summit 2024 co- hosted by Huawei, ASEAN Foundation, and SEAMEO

Held in Nanning, this event provided a crucial platform to discuss the future of digital talent development in the rapidly evolving regional digital economy.

In his welcome speech, H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, emphasized the vital role of digital talent in driving the region's growth and innovation, ensuring our region remains competitive in the global economy. "The collaboration between Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation, which has made this event possible, exemplifies the profound impact of public-private partnerships in enhancing digital skills among our youths across the Asia-Pacific region. This program offers more than 130 exceptional young talents an enriching one-week tour of China, where they will engage in a journey of learning and cultural exchange. As they embark on this exciting experience, I am confident they will make meaningful contributions to unlocking the region's digital potential, driving forward innovation, and steering us toward a sustainable and inclusive digital future. In response, ASEAN is actively developing policies to facilitate digital talent mobility among its member states, enable mutual recognition of qualifications, and encourage collaboration on talent development. ASEAN countries also have much to gain from China's approach to enhancing digital skills among its youth. China's integration of digital education into school curricula, with a focus on subjects like coding and AI, serves as a model. Key initiatives such as the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan and collaborations with tech giants like Huawei—providing training and internships—are central to this endeavor."

In line with this vision, Mr. Simon Lin, President of Huawei Asia-Pacific, said "At Huawei, our digital talent program in the Asia-Pacific region is built on three key pillars: Partnership, Commitment, and Youth Empowerment. These principles have driven us to develop over 200,000 digital talents through initiatives like Huawei ICT Academy in more than 310 universities, Tech4City competition, and this Digital Talent Summit. We are committed to fostering future leaders of the Asia-Pacific digital economy and, together with our partners, we will continue building a bigger stage for young talent to thrive with technology."

Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Secretariat and H.E. Ambassador M.I. Derry Aman, Chair of the ASEAN Foundation Board of Trustees, also shared their valuable perspectives on the importance of shaping a brighter digital future in ASEAN countries. "Investing in youth is key to unlocking the digital potential of not only ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region but also the world", as said by Ambassador Derry. In this light, Ambassador Derry appreciated the collaboration between the ASEAN Foundation and Huawei in co-hosting this program, which has a profound impact on youth development by equipping participants with vital digital and cultural skills. During the event, government representatives from across the region shared updates on their vision and progress in cultivating digital talent.

H.E. Dr. Chea Vandeth, Minister of Post and Telecommunications of the Kingdom of Cambodia, recognized the summit as a significant step towards enhancing collaboration in digital skills development among member countries and shared vibrant development of digital talent in Cambodia in his speech. "The future prosperity of our region depends not only on our ability to create new technologies but to equip our people with the skills they need to thrive with those technologies." Dr. Haji Azman Bin Ahmad, Permanent Secretary for Higher Education in Brunei Darussalam, also shared valuable insights on digital talent cultivation.

At the summit, Huawei together with Prince of Songkla University (PSU), launched the "PSU ICT TALENT DEVELOPMENT and INNOVATION CENTER", which is the first of its kind in APAC, expected to benefiting students and broader community by driving digital transformation in education sector and beyond.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Pongthep Sutheravut, Vice President of PSU, Dr. Suthiporn Truktrong, Acting Vice President of PSU (Trang Campus), together with Fan Xiaoqian, Director of Huawei Global Enterprise Training & Certification Department and Zhou Jinjun, Director of Huawei Asia-Pacific Region Learning & Certification Services Department shared PSU and Huawei's collaboration and vision. Huawei APAC aims to have certified engineers by 80,000 and create 1500 HCIE experts over the next five years", as said by Zhoujinjun in his keynote speech.

The panel titled "Connecting the Future: Elevating Digital Skills for Success Ahead" was also part of the summit, opened by Dr. Thepchai Supnithi, Vice President of the Thailand AI Association, and led by Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation. This dynamic discussion featured experts from ITU APAC, PSU, Huawei Seeds Global Ambassadors. The panel explored the complexities of shaping tomorrow's leaders by bridging digital gaps, and discuss the best way to harnessing digital skills and promote digital inclusivity.

The summit concluded with 17 groups of student performance showcasing their own cultural heritage at the Departure Ceremony. Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation; Datuk  Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat; Mr. Simon Lin, the president of Huawei Asia-Pacific joined the students to ignite the roadmap, marking the start of an exciting and fruitful journey.

After the summit, students will embark on an immersive tour of Huawei's campuses in Shenzhen and Dongguan, where they will participate in digital learning classes and study ICT technologies and applications. They will also compete in the Tech4Good Regional Semi-Final, with the top two winners advancing to the 2025 Global Final in China, receiving sponsorship opportunities, a trip to China, and one-on-one discussions with local Huawei executives.