Techtorium & New Era IT encourage IT diversity in New Zealand

Angus Fenn is a young New Zealander who is making a difference in New Zealand's IT sector and the wider community – and he's also partially deaf himself.

An incident when Angus was a baby resulted in the loss of the vibrating bones in his ear, which left Fenn partially deaf and very sensitive to loud noises.

Fenn yearned to follow in his father's footsteps with a career in IT, but because of his deafness he knew university probably wasn't going to be an option.

While he was at Selwyn College, he learned about Techtorium, which is a provider of computer engineering and software development courses that cater towards the needs of the student.

Fenn completed an internship and subsequently landed a job at New Era IT, which is a provider of IT support for education institutes and schools all around the country.

He is also based at Kelston Deaf Education Centre, which provides state funded education to students who are hearing impaired.

Techtorium industry pathways manager Lyall Haselton says that Fenn's journey is just one example of how the IT sector – and Techtorium –  support diversity.

"We also play a very active role in encouraging young women to pursue a career in IT. In a sector that is booming women are in the minority, occupying only 23% of professional IT roles overall," says Haselton.

Recognising the large number of students who gain employment at New Era IT, Techtorium and New Era Technology have collaborated to set up an internship programme for students.

That programme enables Techtorium students the ability to participate in an internship programme at New Era IT for nine weeks, while the students are studying.

New Era IT's Kate Finlayson adds that the company is thrilled to be able support students with the necessary experience and exposure they need.

"We look for job-ready graduates when hiring and Techtorium has consistently provided promising candidates in the past," says Finlayson.

Techtorium alumna and New Era IT senior technician Ginny Hastelow says a career in IT is a viable and exciting option for young women.

"Techtorium walked us through everything we needed to know beyond IT skills, such as how to write our CVs, how to communicate in the workplace, how to dress, how to highlight our key skills and even how to shake hands properly! They were with us every step of the way until we landed the job," she says.