A large Christchurch-based tech company told us last week they were starting to hire again, that “things are generally on the up”. Within a few days of the conversation, we read in the ITP Pānui newsletter that jobs for graduates are just not there. Victoria MacLennan, CEO, quoted “Our friends at Summer of Tech have 3000 students vying for 100 placements”.
While Summer of Tech is doing a great job, it’s difficult to agree with the conclusion that this could be summed up as a crisis not a blip. But the article further stated the opportunities for tech graduates are so bad that their only option is to move to Australia. Data and reports, although helpful in identifying trends, frequently lags behind sentiment. It is the future we need to be concerned about.
Economies are renowned for going up and down. Young people will always have a taste for exploration, and we need them to. Our behaviour towards those who leave will have a big effect on whether they return.
Whilst the article focuses on newly minted graduates, there is global evidence that there are not enough of them to satisfy our growing lust for digitalisation. Instead, we suggest that we focus on the under-employed who only need encouragement and support to flourish.
The team at Unlock Innovation Ltd has conducted extensive research into where New Zealand might uncover technical expertise already hiding in plain sight. And there are vast numbers of novel thinking skills that are already available to us. We believe that New Zealand can lead the world, not in apologising for retraining dyslexic minds to fit within established frameworks, but to help technology discover new value by approaching challenges differently.
It is estimated that over a million New Zealanders are dyslexic. We risk missing out on the extraordinary technology and innovation skills our industries need to grow. We have more than enough capability in New Zealand to innovate and take on new challenges without damning those who need to gain international experience. Rather than expecting them to save us, our job is to build a thriving economy and attract our clever and connected graduates back home.
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