EIT Auckland’s inaugural alumni event, NEXUS was held at the Ellen Melville Centre in Auckland on Friday 13 August 2021.

As the academic year at EIT’s Auckland campus draws to a close, there is much to reflect on and celebrate, not least the resilience and determination of our postgraduate-level students to achieve in the fields of tech and digital, applied management and health science. And achieve they have, with many recent graduates securing high-level roles with innovative New Zealand and international organisations.

Congratulations to them all. EIT is proud to promote this unique and talented pool of skilled graduates to prospective employers seeking candidates with the desired combination of proven international credentials, contemporary industry-focused qualifications and exciting potential.

Event highlights

An undoubted highlight this year was NEXUS, our inaugural alumni event held in August and strongly supported by our Industry Advisory Group and prominent members of the local business community, including Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck.

Recent graduate Viduni Raveesha Abenayaka’s comments were representative of those who attended.

“2021 was a great year and this event was an amazing success where we could learn a lot of things and also make new connections with specialists in industry. We are looking forward to similar opportunities in 2022 and well done, EIT.”

Another successful event followed called KINETICUS, an employment panel series featuring successful EIT graduates sharing stories of their pathways to their current roles, which has proved invaluable to current students as they enter a dynamic and highly competitive labour market.

EIT also had the privilege of hosting a special TechTALK event in June, featuring acclaimed international supply chain experts detailing their insights into this rapidly transforming sector.

Future-focused

As a globally-focused tertiary education provider, EIT introduced a selection of new NZQA-approved fully online and flexible online to on-campus postgraduate programmes in 2021.

Those currently enrolled have embraced EIT’s innovative and flexible approach to online learning, which enables them to progress and complete their qualifications while working in their current roles in a diverse range of countries and time zones. In response to the increasing number of offshore students studying online, our Student Representatives now feature students from Hong Kong, Qatar and India joining their Auckland-based counterparts in providing peer-to-peer support for fellow students.

With industry site visits curtailed in Auckland itself due to COVID-19 restrictions, the learning experience of EIT students has been enriched by the proactive support and innovation of the local business community, including numerous industry associations which have taken things to a new level in terms of virtual accessibility and a redefining of networking in 2021. IT Professionals, Tech Alliance, The AI Forum, Health Informatics NZ, TechWomen, She# and TechTALK are just some of the organisations that have changed the rules of the game when it comes to bringing people together and providing an inclusive environment for the exchange of ideas and information. Our students have benefited enormously from these opportunities and our gratitude cannot be overstated.

Nga mihi nui and best wishes to all of our students and industry partners over the summer holiday period and we look forward to making mutually beneficial connections in 2022.