Techweek, which ran from 13 May to 20 May, is a tech and innovation festival with events across Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim is to inspire, inform, and educate people about what is happening within the tech sector.
UCOL teamed up with ManawaTech, Te Manawa and Graduate Women Manawatū to run a Women in Tech panel discussion where four women working in the local tech sector discussed their career journeys, goals, and aspirations for the future.
The speakers included Aneta Davidson (Regional Manager of Spark), Kiri Brown (independent IT contractor), Theresa Byrne (Digital Business Analyst for Te Whatu Ora MidCentral), and Dani Smith (Web Developer and Accounts Manager at Webtech Creative Agency).
Byrne and Smith are both graduates of UCOL’s Bachelor in Information and Communications Technology.
Jasmine Groves, UCOL Executive DirectorPartnerships & Engagement, says UCOL is proud to help give women working in the technology sector a platform to share their stories as part of Techweek.
“We hope that the Women in Tech panel inspired anyone considering a career in tech to take the leap, whether they are at secondary school or looking for a career change. We are proud to have had a couple of our ICT graduates on the panel this year. Theresa and Dani are great examples of young women who are now flourishing in the tech industry after completing their UCOL degrees.”
UCOL also had a stall at the Tech Solutions Expo where people were be able to chat with UCOL staff and find out about the ICT programmes UCOL offers, as well as the new New Zealand Certificate in Entertainment and Event Technology, which launched in July.
Paula Richardson, UCOL Academic Portfolio Manager for ICT and Performance, was a guest on Techweek TV, talking about how student internships benefit ICT businesses and learners. You can watch this interview here.