The industry placements are an opportunity for students to be immersed in an industry setting, and to undertake a project that will add value to the host organisation. Placements/internships are a chance to practice new skills, collaborate and network with industry professionals and can sometimes offer a pathway to employment with the host organisation. From the Dunedin 2018 SHIFT cohort, several have secured employment with their industry hosts, or are currently in the negotiation process, while others are being sought by employers elsewhere.
Roles that the 2018 SHIFT cohort have moved into include: data scientist, service delivery manager, full-stack developer, user experience designer, software tester, project manager, digital consultant and marketing and events manager.
The SHIFT students are highly regarded by their industry hosts, both for their new tech skills, and the maturity, professionalism and initiative they bring to their host organisation. For some organisations, this was the second time they had taken a SHIFT intern, and they were definitely keen to take more in the future!
Some Host comments from the Dunedin Industry Showcase:
- "He was our very first intern and we were very nervous because he was coming into a very busy environment. We didn't want to break him. Clients now ask, 1) When are you going to employ him, 2) When can we have him full-time, and finally they say, 'What a top guy!'"
- "If we keep getting interns of this quality, we'll be very happy."
- "She's been a real breath of fresh air, it's been really awesome, and a real pleasure."
- "We run one of the biggest networks in the country, and that was one of the challenges he faced looking at this issue for us. It was a good opportunity for him, and for us it was a great experience."
- "She was a great addition to the team. She made a wonderful contribution to our analytics, rebuilt a number of our reports, and improved them significantly."
- "He's been great to work with. He has excellent attention to detail, he's good at testing, coding, and is really passionate about software quality."
We would like to extend a massive 'Thank you!' to our industry hosts, for either providing studio projects last year, or for hosting a student for the placement. Without your input, this part of the course would not be possible. SHIFT's linking of education and industry continues to deliver top results, and together we are helping to build New Zealand's tech capabilities.
Industry Placement Hosts:
- AbacusBio
- ADInstruments
- Canterbury Cricket
- Computer Concepts Ltd
- Datacom
- ezyVet
- Methodist Mission Southern
- Otago Museum
- Pacific Edge Ltd
- Timely
- University of Otago
