ITP Techblog

The interest in lifting the capability of our industry and in career / skills development - through education, the SFIA framework and other programmes - is greater than ever before. Yesterday I met with the CSAC (the Cyber Security Advisory Committee) where we were exploring skills challenges in the Cyber space. Today I am involved in a cross government digital skills hui. Tomorrow meeting education institutes to discuss new and evolving micro-credentials, degrees and diplomas. Below is a link to the Immigration Webinar I hosted last week which will take some of the pressure off employers - but I dearly hope won’t reduce the interest in developing our own capability here in Aotearoa. 

CITRENZ - Education conference

Speaking of education. TP is really privileged to also provide backbone services for CITRENZ - Computing and Information Research Education New Zealand - an organisation focused on tertiary and vocational education delivery in the digital technology space. Sounds fancy I know. This year their conference will be in October 2022 and there are still opportunities to speak or to sponsor for anyone who is working actively with the tertiary sector - as it says on the link here, 54% of attendees are heads of schools so an impressive audience. 

I will be there speaking, and maybe even helping on the door you never know, so might see you there. 

The future of Testing? Challenges in application automation testing. 

Testing holds such a pivotal role within our industry yet many organisations - especially early stage - underinvest and don’t design for automated testing from the outset. Chapter 7 of From Yesterday to Tomorrow is by Adesh Pernekar and focuses on the challenges in application automation testing. 

This chapter is full of great insights into the testing space, did you know test automation was first invented in the mid-1970’s? Or that the testing industry is estimated to be worth $54.98 Billion in 2022? 

Adesh explores in detail the top three challenges of test automation - High investment costs; Choosing the right tool; and Availability of skilled resources. He talks about the testers role, approaches to follow, when and how to automate. Really worth a read if you are not a tester yourself. 

Immigration Webinar

Last week lovely ImmigrationNZ team members joined me to provide an overview of the upcoming changes for employers looking to bring new workers into the country. Moving on from the 600 Tech Worker boarder exemption system the team provide an overview of the Accredited Employment Work Visa (AEWV) programme and specific aspects relevant to the Digital Technology industry. You can watch the video here. If you would like a copy of the slides please email [email protected] and we can send them through. 

Longterm ITP member Peter Riddell has passed away

A sad note to finish off todays round up. I was alerted to the passing of Peter Riddell by the Palmerston North ITP Branch where he was a long term member and supporter of the industry. Known as someone who always went out of the way to help others Peter will be missed by those who worked with him over the years. 

Finally - I am posting this Monday news in brief on a Tuesday as yesterday was somewhat crazy. It makes me wonder how sustainable the current busyness levels actually are. It feels like 2023 has become a pressure cooker of activity with programmes trying to catch up after 2 years of Covid interruptions and delays. Are you experiencing a busier than usual workload right now? 

I'm finishing up this blog after attending the Māori All Blacks vs Ireland tonight, it was freezing cold with that swirling wind and rain we get in the capital. Great game with a fantastic whānau friendly atmosphere, our group of 27 certainly enjoyed our evening under our blankets.

Kia pai tō rā, Vic