Henley-on-Thames: HAINA academy launched to nurture talent in ICT

Henley Business School, the University of Reading and Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, have launched the first UK arm of the internationally-established HAINA (Huawei Authorised Information Network Academy). The partnership will combine industry and academic expertise to help enhance the skills and career prospects of students and industry professionals, through Huawei certification courses.

This important and innovative academy was launched at an event hosted by Sir David Bell, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, Professor John Board, dean of Henley Business School, and Jason Zhao, managing director of Huawei Enterprise Business, UK, and attended by representatives from the three partner institutions, local government and the Chinese embassy.

A wide range of key industry areas will be covered by the Academy’s certification and students will gain expertise in big data; cloud computing technologies; IT storage systems; data centre management; computer networks; Huawei technologies; and have access to Huawei’s e-learning resources.

Use of Huawei technology products and solutions in the industry is rapidly increasing, and with big data and data management being such hot topics, this collaboration is ideally timed to support the industry in furthering practitioner knowledge and dealing with these complex matters.

The mayor of Reading, councillor Sarah Hacker, said: “This HAINA programme signifies the great work that Huawei, Henley Business School and the University of Reading are doing to help improve the career prospects of ICT professionals and many young people. This programme will allow students to gain a greater understanding of the ICT industry and provide them with the skills they need to find more opportunities in the professional world. I am pleased to say that this is the first university to take part in this programme and we hope to see more universities following suit as we move towards a more technology-dependent society.”

Board added: “As well as helping to develop existing talent in the ICT industry, the partnership will help us to build the skills of our current students through enhanced courses and educational tools. We look forward to collaborating more closely with Huawei as we continue to develop ICT talent in the UK and overseas.”

Gordon Luo, CEO of Huawei UK, said: “This latest collaboration with Henley Business School and the University of Reading strengthens our relationship as we move towards building a better connected world. We hope this is the first of many HAINA partnerships with educational institutions in the UK as we continue to invest in research and development to better accommodate the current and future needs of our society.”

Huawei is currently cooperating with over 100 universities to open HAINA facilities across China, North America, Europe, Australia and more. In the next three to five years, Huawei will continue to increase its investment in education, collaborating with over 500 colleges and universities to develop ICT talent around the world.