When Samantha Down went before her EIT final year computing degree presentation panel, she already knew the outcome. She’d been working with her new employer for a month even while still studying.

Sam, as she prefers, had secured an internship with Devine Technology as part of her Bachelor of Computer Systems degree. Final year students are required to complete a real life project.

Within a very short time of starting on her analysis of Microsoft PowerBI software and how it could benefit Devine Technology clients,
she had the job offer.

“Sam is now key to our business in providing this expertise,” says Chris Devine, founder and owner of the business. “She’s energetic and smart. She’s done the research and made it work for us.”

Sam was also one of the EIT computing school’s graduates to verbally present at its annual Poster Night in November, where all students share posters they create that capture the essence and results of their internships. Attending were 100 business owners, EIT faculty, family and friends of the students.

That Sam has secured a job from her internship is nothing new for EIT students, says Dr Tom Hartley, computing lecturer.

In 2017, 20 of the 50 computing students across the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti campuses secured employment from their internship placements. In 2018, the number is 12 out of 30, with another three being shoulder tapped by other businesses looking for graduates.

Tom reports that in the last four weeks of the last semester he had inquiries from a dozen businesses looking for recent graduates. This is in sharp contrast to the reports of employment prospects in larger centres where computing degrees are offered.

“While an IT degree is no guarantee of a job, EIT students are advantaged over others by having real world experiences through work-integrated learning,” says Dr David Skelton, assistant head of school business and computing.

“We always have good demand for our interns and graduates. And in more recent times IT businesses are moving from areas like Auckland and Wellington to Hawke’s Bay because of desired lifestyle changes.

The region’s computing infrastructure is in place to positively support such moves.”

Tom is responsible for coordinating the computing internships and believes one of the success factors is engagement with internship sponsors.

“We don’t just academically manage students at an arm’s length. Our sponsors appreciate that involvement and this encourages them to come back again and again.”

Devine Technology is a case in point. It regularly provides internships and just as often employs the student. “Having young fresh people with sound skills as part of our team gives us our point of difference.”

For Sam, the opportunity to become an expert on the Microsoft product that visualises data was very appealing. “I just love data.”

The 30 year old came back to Hawke’s Bay from Australia three years ago with the goal of developing a career in computing. Initially she thought she’d like to be a programmer. One programming paper later, she changed her mind definitively!

Once she embarked on her internship, Sam took two online learning courses to deepen her understanding of database relationships. “I wanted to own it and deliver on the research.”

Chris Devine, calls her the Microsoft PowerBI centre of excellence of his business. Sam’s rapt. “I didn’t think I was smart enough to get an IT degree and now I’ve found that I’m really good at it. And I love it.”