The vision of Kuwait’s government is to transform the nation into a regional and international financial and trade hub under the tenets of the Kuwait Vision 2035. The backbone of this transformational vision is ICT, which is essential to drive economic diversification, job creation, and global competitiveness. Kuwait ranks highly on global ICT development indicators, benefiting from near-universal internet penetration, increasing 5G coverage, and growing digital services. The state is moving towards advanced ‘smart government’ and ‘smart city’ concepts, offering citizens and organizations easier transactions online and ubiquitous access and connectivity.

IDC predicts digital transformation investments in the MENA region will double across the 2020-2025 period, reaching US$58 billion by 2025. Meanwhile, experts estimate that ICT spending in Kuwait will grow at an annual rate of 10.2%, reaching $10.1bn by 2024. Global Data suggests economic growth will be driven by advanced technologies such as AI, big data, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

While technology may well be the linchpin in Kuwait Vision 2035, what is of equal importance is ensuring there is a rich talent pool, capable of taking full advantage of the country’s highly advanced technology infrastructure and implementing the Vision’s goals. Kuwait’s universities continue to produce talented ICT practitioners, but it is important to note that the demand is outstripping supply locally and internationally. We must invest in talent development to ensure local organizations have access to personnel qualified enough to pursue their corporate digital transformation goals. The backbone, the software and the hardware can all be in place, however, advanced digital training and skills development is required to meet the growing needs of an evolving digital economy.

Academia must partner with the government and the private sector in tripartite agreements that not only envision current technology and talent needs but wholly embrace future needs. And to support this mission, Kuwait College of Science and Technology (KCST) aims to prepare capable graduates to lead society, ideally through training with a spectrum of industry partnerships in key technology areas such as 5G and advanced communication systems and networks, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. With this in mind, KCST is hosting the first Huawei 5G Lab and 5G Star simulation training system in Kuwait, as part of the Huawei ICT Academy concept. This collaboration will boost ICT talent development across the country and facilitate new digital business models, supporting economic transformation in line with local vision. The 5G Lab offers students insights into the technology’s latest developments. Participants will also benefit from links within the industry and knowledge-sharing in real-world ICT scenarios.

The 5G Star platform, meanwhile, delivers an industry- standard simulation training program based on Huawei 5G base stations. Students will learn real-world skills in an immersive environment, using virtual reality to deliver complex technology learning in a classroom setting.

The Huawei ICT Academy is a global schoolenterprise partnership program led by Huawei to encourage college and university students to pursue careers in the ICT realm. Combined with career certifications, the ICT Academy provides resources and skills for local talent to contribute to the industry’s advancement and broader digital society.This partnership with Huawei exposes students to some of the most innovative technologies in 5G, in preparation for their absorption into the digital economy.

Further helping drive interest in, and knowledge of the ICT sector regionally, Huawei also runs various talent development and competition programs such as the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition, the Huawei Seeds for the Future (SFTF) competition, Developer Academy, Cloud Academy, and Women in Science and Technology. These programs enable students to understand the latest technology trends, discover the technological ecosystem in Kuwait, and learn from industry experts.

Huawei provides quality courses and support services to universities in Kuwait that assist in training teachers, establishing and optimizing ICT majors, improving the curriculum and building labs – all of which contribute to developing innovative and application-oriented technical talent in Kuwait.

While our partnerships with technology leaders such as Huawei mean our students are very well-equipped to thrive in the nascent digital economy and stand Kuwait in good stead in terms of future talent, we must do more.

We need to push for more youth to pursue ICT careers and ensure more companies like Huawei are involved in national training initiatives. KCST is proudly playing a pivotal role in Kuwait’s digital revolution, providing training, skills, and talent. But it is only through carefully nurtured, long-term industry partnerships that we can guarantee we will all be suitably prepared for the bright new digital future.

By Prof. Khalid Al Begain President of Kuwait College of Science and Technology