A new collaboration between Edinburgh Napier and global telecommunications company Huawei Technologies is set to aid the University in developing talent for future careers in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Edinburgh Napier has linked up with the Huawei Authorised Information and Network Academy (HAINA); a not-for-profit programme that authorises universities, colleges and schools to deliver Huawei certification courses.

The partnership will see the University’s School of Computing work closely with the innovative programme to deliver a range of industry standard training and certification to students with an aim of enhancing their employability and playing a part in filling the global ICT skills gap.

Through the University’s involvement with the Academy, students will have access to extensive learning resources, simulation tools, practical labs, certification exams, industry visits as well as various opportunities of work placements and internships with the company.

The new collaboration also recently saw the Huawei Mobile Truck Road Show visit the University’s Craiglockhart campus. Equipped with a series of Huawei’s latest solutions in the areas of unified communications, IP networks, security, date centre demos and more, the high-tech facility demonstrates the company’s latest solutions in action, giving students a glimpse into future trends and technologies. 

Dr Sally Smith, Edinburgh Napier’s Dean of the School of Computing, said: “With one of the largest computing schools in the UK, Edinburgh Napier staff and students will benefit from our mutual collaboration with Huawei. This agreement allows participants to share resources and bring their unique strengths to joint projects.

“We are grateful to Huawei for providing lab solutions, training lecturers and developing a range of course certifications for us. Huawei’s learning environment will provide an atmosphere much like an actual work environment so that students can experience real-world situations. By doing so, we can help our students acquire professional and practical skills.”

Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology “ICT” solutions provider. Through its dedication to customer-centric innovation and strong partnerships, it has established end-to-end solution advantages in telecom networks, devices, and cloud computing.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, adjacent to Hong Kong, the company was founded in 1987 and in 2014 had a staff of 170,000. Its vision is to provide a better connected world and through open partnerships, focuses on future-orientated information pipes, consistent cloud services, big data, IoT and premium quality handsets and devices.