Huawei‘s “Seeds for the Future” training programme is a unique opportunity. In this year’s edition, two Técnico students were selected among 10 students (Electrical and Computer Engineering fields) from different Portuguese higher education institutions. Sofia Patrício, integrated MSc student (4th year) in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Técnico, was one of the fortunate students selected by Huawei.
“I learnt a lot from this training programme and I grew a lot, not only as a person, but also as a professional. Visiting a country like China and meeting so many inspiring people was amazing. This training programme helped me gain a lot of knowledge”, says the Técnico student. Sofia Patrício decided to apply as soon as she heard about this Huawei’s training programme. After all, a 17-day experience, including intensive training and direct contact with one of the world’s largest companies in the area of network and telecommunications equipment, could not be missed. “If I won, I would have the opportunity to live an incredible experience that otherwise I could only live in a few years or maybe I would never have”!
The selected students had the opportunity to join a training programme at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, and to learn about one of the world’s most advanced and innovative R&D facilities. In the first week students did an intensive Chinese course in Beijing, and during the second week they explored Huawei’s facilities, where they had the opportunity to attend workshops on Telecommunications. “During the weekends we visited amazing places such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, botanical gardens, light shows and the world’s greatest markets”, recalls the Técnico student.
The fellowship and friendship that training programmes provide to participants were also highlighted by Sofia Patrício. “We were a group of 10 students and it was great. We began as colleagues and we became friends”, says the Técnico student.
Sofia Patrício defines this experience as “incredible” and “unique”. “Huawei provides exceptional support and we have practically no travel costs, so I see no reason for not taking this opportunity”, says the Técnico student. “This is something that will remain forever in our memory and in our professional life”, she adds. This experience allowed Sofia Patrício to consolidate some ideas she had about Huawei as a successful company. “I had the opportunity to better understand the size of the company and the role it intends to play in the world. Huawei considers this training programme an important contribution to society”, she stresses.
