Update from ITPNZ
Here's a quick weekly update from ITP CEO Paul Matthews
Heaps happening at ITP this week, with heaps of live online events, webinars and chats, Government engagement, plus so much more.
This week's Friday Live webinar features economist Dr John McDermott outlining the data analysis and prediction that informs decisions around Covid-19, plus a bumper week of webinars and more next week.
Also, want to get involved in ITP's Professional Guidance Working Group? Plus lots of opportunity to upskill and we're also re-opening the ITP clothing store for contactless deliveries from next week!
4pm today: Friday Live webinar on the data behind Covid-19
Each Friday of Level 4 lockdown ITP we are hosting the new ITP Friday Live webinar, with the techblog crew giving an update plus a special guest speaker and Q&A.
This week' session is happening this afternoon at 4pm and features the tech news roundup, plus a great talk and Q&A session from former Assistant Reserve Bank Governor Dr John McDermott. He leads the data science team at Wigram Capital Advisors, predicting the level of virus activity and its impact in different scenarios.
Dr McDermott will talk us through how data is being used to make the big decisions, including the data analysis, technology and accuracy, and what the predictions show us. Plus answer your questions during live Q&A.
These Level-4 weeks are long and times are tough. So grab a beer, wine or juice and finish your week off right with this informative and entertaining session, delivered live online nationwide!
If you haven't checked one of these out yet, this would be a great one to start!
Bumper week next week
Heaps happening next week as well, with the following online webinars and events - all free:
Tech Chat Tuesday - Tuesday 2pm, grab yourself a cuppa and come and have a chat with other tech folks across New Zealand.
Meet the ITP workshop presenters - Wednesday 3pm, our whole workshop roster will talk you through the different upskilling offerings we provide and answer your questions.
Friday Live: Leading wellbeing in uncertain times - Friday 4pm, clinical psychologist Gaynor Parkin will talk through team wellbeing and how to ensure you and your colleagues are doing ok.
Government engagement
Lockdown hasn't stopped us engaging with Government in a range of areas, especially with the Covid-19 work currently happening.
A handful of examples from this week:
- We've been working with MBIE on gauging how significant our sector is being impacted, especially at the consultancy end and IT professionals.
- Also with MBIE, we've been talking with them about the All of Govt Consultancy Services panel, and what the future looks like in light of Covid-19. We're pretty unhappy this "open" panel hasn't actually opened for new entries for years and are pushing for this while also engaging on what the longer-term looks like. There are some great ideas emerging about how to make this better for both Govt agencies and consultants.
- We're engaged with the Ministry of Education on Workforce Development Councils (WDCs), a core part of the overall Review of Vocational Education. We're not sure what's happening with the timeline around RoVE now, however the WDC component is still charging forwards. As well as advocating to ensure IT/Tech is structured in the best possible way for our sector, I'm also directly involved in the design of the WDC model via the WDC Design Reference Group.
- We're working closely with NZQA to sort out some loose ends around the Review of sub-degree computing/IT qualifications, and will be submitting what is hopefully the final versions of qualifications later today.
- We're also engaged with the Ministry of Education around our "Adopt a School" initiative to help schools through this period. More on this next week.
- Through subsidiary Partner NZ, we've partnered with others to put together a package to help recently unemployed kiwis assess and upskill and are in the process of putting this to the Ministry of Social Development.
So yes, very busy time on a number of fronts.
Professional Guidance Working Group - want to get involved?
One of the roles of a professional body is providing guidance to IT Professionals about professional practice. In our case, this takes the form of the Code of Ethics, as well as a broader Code of Practice and Professional Knowledge Curriculum.
It's essential these documents remain current and relevant to members and we review them periodically to make sure of this. We're currently assembing a Professional Guidance Working Group to do so, and are looking for volunteers to get involved :).
The Working Group will focus on reviewing these documents for currency and clarity, plus looking at what other guidance we, as an organisation, should provide. It's a great opportunity to "give back" to the profession and looks great on your CV.
The time commitment for the Working Group is around 2-3 hours a month plus meetings, with most meetings happening online for the moment.
If you're interested in getting involved, flick a note through to [email protected] with your CV (or a link to LinkedIn) and we'll send you the Terms of Reference.
Certification is Growing - Get Yours
We had a fantastic turnout to our recent CITPNZ/CTech webinar and workshop which was designed to help answer question around our certification process and to help those who are interested get started.
ITP's certifications Chartered IT Professional NZ (CITPNZ) and Certified Technologist (CTech) are recognised in New Zealand and abroad and empower IT Professionals by providing independent evidence of competence in software and IT.
You can watch the full webinar below, and we will be running another on the 22nd of May if you want to learn more or ask questions.
Time to upskill?
Given the current Covid-19 lockdown, we've made all of our courses available online, bumped up their availability heaps over the next month, and are providing an additional 20% discount for everyone.
Keen to know more? Check out our webinar next Wednesday, where our workshop presenters will talk through what's covered plus answer your questions.
Times are certainly tough at the moment and while some in our community are extremely busy, others are less so. A number of members have asked us to make more courses available so this downtime can be put to good use and we've done just that.
With at least 2 different courses available every week, all delivered live and interactive online, here's a great opportunity to use this time to upskill you and your team. Pick and choose the courses that suit you.
Use the discount code covid19 to receive an additional 20% discount on all course registrations during Covid alert level 4 and level 3. This is off the listed price and is in addition to discounts for members and staff of Corporate Partners.
Also, let us know if you have 4+ people from your organisation interested in a course.
The current courses are listed below and we'll be adding more regularly. Let us know if there's another topic you'd like to see included and we'll do our best to bring it to you.
View all courses on the ITP website
ITP Clothing Store open again
With the announcement that we will be moving back to Level 3 from the 28th of April, we've re-opened the ITP store for deliveries once again - just in time for winter!
The official ITP Clangear store uniquely boasts practical and professional gear that's been designed with the IT Professional in mind, fully branded so you can be proud to be part of ITP.
These sleek and simple designs are perfect for practical and networking situations, we have partnered with RedWorx, a local brand that focus on durability and quality.
ITP partners can also get your company logo on a jacket, alongside the ITP logo.
Check it out at shop.itp.nz
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