From thinking he might seek a trades career, former Lytton High School student Roy Boustead now has a dream job in data analytics and management with Trust Tairāwhiti, thanks to the opportunities he discovered at EIT.

Roy didn’t really know what he wanted to do after leaving school. He initially enrolled for a degree in social science at Victoria University but soon became disillusioned by the prescriptive style of studies. He needed something more hands-on.

Returning home at the end of the year, he considered studying trades but decided he wanted a little more theory.

Then he discovered EIT’s school of computing. The Bachelor of Computing Systems ticked all his boxes. Although he hadn’t studied computing, he rapidly became engrossed.

He faced a few challenges in the first couple of years, particularly after losing his father. But lecturers Tina Blumenthal and Ken York were very supportive, helping him get through.

“At EIT they don’t just hand out information for students to digest on their own – the lecturers are genuinely concerned and involved. It’s not just about passing the assessment. It’s about whether you are learning and getting value from the programme. It is all about giving students the capability to succeed.”

In his final year Roy discovered and fell in love with analytics. The way data could be used for problem solving was right up his alley and he found himself breezing through.

His aptitude led to an internship at Trust Tairāwhiti which in turn led to his first fulltime job.

He was offered a position in IT and data management and is loving it.

“It’s a great organisation,” he said. “We are all independent but we work collaboratively. I feel like I have slotted in really comfortably – there was no period of adjustment at all.”

His appointment coincided with the Trust’s rebranding and he was part of its first public engagement at the A&P Show.

Over 600 people filled out a survey about what they wanted for the community, providing Roy with an excellent sample for analysis.

“I will be reporting on what matters most to the community so that we have something tangible to report back to the community.

Trust Tairāwhiti’s main purpose is regional wellbeing but there has historically been little data nationally or regionally to measure and plan for wellbeing.”

The Trust is building its own databases from scratch, making it an interesting time for Roy to become involved.

“Once we have got the baseline data we can see where we need to best invest.”