Huawei has announced that it will donate CNY1 million worth of vocational skills exam vouchers to 2,000 female STEM students from hundreds of application-oriented undergraduate universities and secondary and higher vocational schools in China. This grant is aimed at helping enhance vocational skills and increase tech industry participation among young women in China.
As part of the HUAWEI Women Developers (HWD) program, the grant will primarily benefit students from the universities and schools that are piloting Huawei’s 1+X mobile app development vocational skills certification program. These institutions can apply for free exam vouchers and distribute them to female students who are going to take the exams. The exams are designed for students majoring in mobile app development, intelligent product development, software technology, AI technology & services, IoT application technology, and so on. Huawei is also providing tailored teacher training and teaching materials to these universities and schools.
Wu Yadong, Dean of the Computer Science and Engineering School at the Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, said, “We are pleased to see the HWD program partnering with universities. We have unfortunately found that only some female STEM students actually enter the tech industry after graduation, making the gender gap in the tech industry even larger than what we see in our schools. So we have long been concerned about how to help female students prepare for and find jobs in the tech industry. I believe that programs like HWD can equip more female students with the professional skills they need to have a career in the tech industry and unleash their full potential.”
In addition to exam vouchers, Huawei has also announced multiple new online courses through their Huawei Developer website[1], including “The Power and Development of Women in Tech” and “A Comprehensive Guide to Mobile UI Design”. Both of these courses will be offered at a discount for two months for all developers.
Huawei Board Member and Senior Vice President Catherine Chen said, “In the digital era, women will be a cornerstone of the tech industry. Increased participation and empowerment of women will open up a whole world of new possibilities and bring new technological and business advancements to the world. Huawei is committed to helping talented women engage in tech and providing more opportunities and platforms for women to unleash their potential and lead us to a more prosperous and equitable future.”
Since the HWD program was launched in March 2021, it has hosted a variety of activities, including the Tech Women’s Award of the Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest, offline developer training sessions for women, showcases of apps from outstanding women developers on Huawei’s website, and involving these developers in Huawei’s corporate events.
Huawei says it has long been committed to providing opportunities and decisive support for women to enhance their competitiveness in the tech industry and ultimately contribute to a more inclusive and diverse world.
Huawei has already rolled out dedicated digital skills training programs for women in multiple countries, including Ireland, Argentina, Bangladesh, Kenya, and South Africa.
[1] https://developer.huawei.com/consumer/en/programs/hwd