Internship Meet’n'Match
03 Aug 2012
Digital connections showcase IT talent
Comany director Matt Currie of Divergent talks to intern
More than 1000 business and student networking connections were made at a Hamilton event designed to creating work opportunities and to keep ICT talent in New Zealand.
SODA Inc.’s inaugural Digital Internship Meet and Match at Artspost Gallery saw more than 50 ICT; business and e-commerce students pitch their services to 23 Waikato IT companies.
SODA Inc. business development manager Petr Adamek said more than 1000 face-to-face introductions were facilitated during the two hour event.
“The main idea was to give companies a chance to see the level of talent coming out of our tertiaries before we lose them to other regions or overseas. This is a great way for them to get a feel for what’s out there and a great way for students to practise their pitches and see where they might like to work or whether they can get inspired to start their own business,” Petr said.
The event, a collaboration between SODA Inc., Wintec and the University of Waikato, gave students a sense of what they could expect in the workforce, Petr said.
“Students came to learn how they should present themselves so that they improve their chance of getting noticed by the industry and finding an interesting job in the field of their study,” he said.
Smart Waikato regional manager Mary Jensen was one potential employer impressed by the event.
“I’ve definitely met some people here I could envisage working with. It has been a great way to make connections and get a taste of the talent that’s out there. It is important young people have the chance to engage with employers while studying to ensure they are channeled in the right direction. This is an excellent and fun way of helping achieve that,” Mary said.
Internships see a student acting as a full-time employee in an organisation for up to three months.
A benefit of internships, which may be unpaid, is giving employers an opportunity to see students perform under “real world” business pressure.
“The organisation can then assess the student as a potential full-time employee after graduation for a relatively low cost investment.”
The event was sponsored by SODA Inc., Wintec, University of Waikato, NetValue, Prima Group, Berman Group, elevate9, Need-a-Nerd, AbsoluteIT, Rongopai Wines, Mandy Suess and Owen Hinton. More details about the event can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/bpembff Photos available at: http://tinyurl.com/d9uaz9o
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