If you are an employer in Wellington, and have never heard of the Summer of Tech or think that university students are unlikely to contribute substantially to your business, you are about to be let in on a big ‘open’ secret that 40 other Wellington companies would prefer you didn’t know.

A little bit about me first: I am a M.E. student at VUW 6 months away from completing my thesis. A multibillion dollar IT company had offered me a permanent position a whole year before I completed my undergraduate degree (I opted to do my Masters). I maintain my own software in my spare time and they have been downloaded over 680,000 times so far. I am currently the primary Microsoft Student Partner at Victoria, and I also lead a Microsoft Imagine Cup ’11 NZ Top 20 finalist team, BookSpark.org, mentored by Microsoft and Intergen employees. More about me.

In 2009, I was hired by Optimal Workshop through the SoT to work on their usability tools. I helped redesign their database and came up with a viable migration scheme, aside from improving application security and troubleshooting hard to reproduce errors.

In 2010, I was hired by Kiwibank and became the first developer there to target the new Windows Phone 7 platform in the form of a geolocation application to help customers find the nearest Kiwibank locations. You can watch a video of it in action here:

Kiwibank Finder (Windows Phone 7)

Both companies were very happy with my performance and I would have continued on at either place if not for my pressing academic commitments. More about my career.

If you participated in Summer of Tech in 2009 or ’10, you’d have had a pretty good shot at hiring me and/or many other candidates like me. It would have cost you a trivial sum of money, given you access to the most driven tertiary students in Wellington today, created substantial value for your company and left you with a big smile on your face. Like several of the companies that participated, you may have even gone on to hire your intern(s) full time afterwards.

If you think hiring students would cost you a lot in way of training, your fears are misplaced – SoT students are highly self-motivated (that should be apparent from the fact that they give up their summer vacations to get ahead in their career).  They soak up new information quickly and on their own when merely pointed in the right direction. They also receive preparatory training from industry experts during the year before they actually turn up at your door.

The Summer of Tech programme has given students like me so much and created so much value for employers in Wellington that it would be a shame if more in the community didn’t realize its value earlier.

If you aren’t convinced that you need to participate in the Summer of Tech, please remember that even the brightest stars in your organization had to start somewhere – it makes a lot of sense to catch them young so that you don’t have to pay the price later.

[I’d like to acknowledge John Clegg and Ruth McDavitt (from SoT), Andrew Mayfield and Sam Ng (from Optimal Workshop), and, Tony Kennedy and Justin Crawshay (from Kiwibank) for the wonderful opportunities that I got over the summers of ’09 and ‘10.

YOU are invited, yes, that means YOU! SoT2010 Interns, Mentors, Colleagues, members of the UP and wider Wellington Tech community!

We’d love to see you at our summer seminars, supporting & developing & connecting the top talent of Wellington and the top employers of Wellington. Here’s the details on our 2nd #xsss: 

STARTUP LESSONS

Rowan Simpson will explain why many of the things that you think you know about what it takes to start and grow a technology company are wrong, why most of the successful companies and entrepreneurs that you read about in the media can’t teach you much about your startup, and some of the counterintuitive lessons that you should be paying attention to as you try and get a new idea off the ground.

Rowan was a founding team member at Trade Me, running the development and product teams there at various stages between 2000 and 2007, an early investor and employee at Xero and most recently a co-founder of Wellington-based software studio Southgate Labs, where he is an an investor and advisor to a number of early-stage tech companies including Vend, Fishpond, Sonar6 and Valuecruncher. 

When … 12.15-1.30pm, Friday 3 December
Where …Kiwibank, level 6, Radio New Zealand House, 155 The Terrace (here’s a map)
Rsvp …is essential!! please do this over here on the groovy lil’ regie platform.
What …are you waiting for? free lunch! networking! inspiring & informative speaker!

HUGE thank-yous to Xero for being our fantastic sponsor of the seminar series. And to Kiwibank for being our fantastic venue partner. Thanks for making these events possible.

Preparation – as with all things in life, the more you prepare, the more value you’re likely to get out of projects.  By now you have scoped your project, set up a work-station, signed an employment contract and assigned a mentor or manager for your intern.  Spending some time thinking about the work, how the work will be managed and what support structures need to be in place for your new employee is essential.  Some companies have training & induction programmes, work processes, documentation already in place.  If you don’t, consider setting up some guidelines for interns, laying out a process for managing their work that will help them develop good habits in what is likely to be their first “real” job.

Expectations - set the tone, set expectations right from the start.  Are you likely to have permanent jobs available at the end of the internship? What are the deliverables from your interns’ project?  What are your expectations around hours of work, dress-code, office etiquette, etc?  Larger companies may have a formal induction process, if you don’t, remember to treat your intern as a new member of staff.  They’re not mind-readers, so setting the scene is YOUR responsibility early on.

Communication – clear dialogue and communication with your intern is essential.  We get consistent feedback from employers that students & interns need to upskill on communication. If you can give your intern opportunities to present or pitch to the team, share learnings and articulate ideas effectively, you’ll be doing everyone a great service!  Make sure that there are open lines of communication and your intern knows who their “go-to” person(s) are for help & support.

Investment - in hosting an intern you’re investing in someone’s future career.  You want to get value on the way through, but realise that up-front investment of time & attention at the beginning of the internship will pay HUGE dividends later on.  Expect to spend 8-20hours 1:1 contact time in the first couple of weeks.  Set the course, lay the foundations, then you’ll only need to do minor course corrections for the rest of the summer. Regular check-ins are important, but the more time to invest up-front in getting to know how your intern works, what their strengths are and what their aspirations are… the better the experience for everyone.

Learning Style  – remember that everyone learns and works differently, and interns are no exception.  Be aware of whether your new recruit is someone who’s comfortable asking for help or if they’re likely to be sitting quietly trying to figure their way through a road-block for hours or days…  Especially in the first few days, make sure you check in regularly.  You might find it useful to ask open questions that focus on the “doing”: e.g. “how are you doing this?”  “explain to me your thinking on xyz”…  An internship is a chance for someone to learn and develop in supported environment.  Sometimes you’ll be tempted to give solutions/answers and impose the “right way” on an intern.  Sometimes this is appropriate, but in the long term, allowing them to develop problem-solving skills and the ability to figure things out for themselves is the best for everyone.  Asking questions, being there and providing suggestions or hints that’ll help them develop the skills to solve problems in the future are a great way to go.

Strengths - we really like the approach of Tom Rath in his book Strengthsfinder 2.0, which helps people uncover and unleash their talent.  We’ll give all Summer of Tech interns a copy of this book as part of their “swag”, and encourage mentors/managers to have a conversation with interns about what they’ve discovered are their strengths.  It might help you discover what’s RIGHT with your staff, and how best to use their skills & talents.

Mini-project - it’s a great idea to scope up a mini-project for your intern to get some runs on the board and learn about how you’ll work together.  This could be a 1 day or a 1 week type of assignment, giving the intern a chance to do a self-contained project,  follow something through and get used to working within your business.  Examples of past “mini-projects” include everything from non-technical (construct a picture of New Zealand with post-it-notes) to building up their own computer and suite of tools, through to a work-related tutorial (do this online Rails Tutorial and show me the results).

Peer review - past mentors’ recommendation is that you have at least a weekly check-in to review your interns’ work.  This may take a bit longer at the beginning of the project, but it’ll be less and less as time goes on.  Don’t leave your intern in isolation.  Set up structures and processes to ensure you can guide their work in the right direction, rather than being surprised and out of touch with their work at the end of the summer. 

Real world vs School world -  most interns will get to the end of the summer and say they’ve learned more in these 3 months than they did in the last 2 years of their degree.  Don’t underestimate the value of real world experience!  Your intern is going to be thrown into the “real world” where experience rather than academic learning counts.  Experience gives you an understanding of Trade-offs, Teamwork, Re-factoring vs Re-building, Copying (or shall we say “borrowing”), and many other concepts that you just can’t teach – you’ve got to learn by doing.  Keep that in mind, especially if you’ve been in the “real world” for awhile, and may have forgotten what the “school world” is like.

Celebrate Success - this is management 101, but so often neglected!  Don’t be a Seagull Manager, remember to give credit when credit is due, and find ways to celebrate GOOD work as well as correcting not-so-good work. 

Support - remember, there is a huge amount of support available … all you need to do is ask.  Your intern can plug into a wide range of support networks (virtual and real-life communties that may include your wider team, user groups, online forums, lecturers and experts in industry).  Interns are welcome to contact info@summeroftech.co.nz for support at any time.  Likewise Mentors/Managers can contact us for support – we can plug you into the wider Summer of Tech community.  Chances are whatever challenges you’re facing have been faced by someone in the past.  We hope things run smoothly for your internship, but if you’re facing a challenge or a roadblock, get in touch with us as soon as possible, we’re here to help.

This is a high-level summary, please feel free to add any comments or new tips below – keen to get your thoughts on how to best manage/mentor interns to maximise the value for your business, and for your intern!

Big thanks to John Clegg and Justin Crawshay for your contribution to the Mentors Bootcamp.

Apparently there’s been a delay with TechNZ’s approvals process (which was supposed to be complete yesterday) and they’re planning to inform companies about funding “late this afternoon or tomorrow”.

Sorry we don’t have any more information, our best advice is to hang in there a bit longer…! 

Will let you know if we get any official communications from TechNZ, as far as we know companies will get notified via email as soon as the decisions have been finalised.

If you’ve already submitted… great!  If not, you have 1 more week!

From TechNZ’s website:

In light of the recent earthquakes in Canterbury we have revised our registration of interest deadline for the TechNZ undergraduate internships.  We are now accepting registrations up to Friday 17 September 2010.

So, to re-cap: new deadline for TechNZ applications is Friday 17 September

The approval notification date has also moved, it’s now Monday 4th October (was 24th September)

Note that the “Factsheet” which is available in the “Related Downloads” section of TechNZ’s web-page has NOT been updated yet.

For more information:

• Please go by the dates listed on the main part of this  web page,
• see this blog post for Summer of Tech companies,
• contact the Foundation, or
• contact Grow Wellington if you would like further clarification.

Here’s a link back to our previous post that has been updated with current info (and apologies, it’s looking a bit “technicolour”, just wanted to be clear about the timeline of  new information / updates!)

Companies applying for this funding should also note:

Yes, as previously flagged, funding is turning out to be very competitive this year!  We’re reliably informed that the number of registrations of interest so far have confirmed this.  “Exceeded expectations” would perhaps be too strong, but you get the picture:

Supply < Demand

Summer of Tech’s opinion goes like this:

Companies should get their best possible business case for TechNZ investment submitted before the deadline on 10 September.

Additional information and assistance is available, see this post for more info.

Summer of Tech can help!  We have skilled & enthusiastic students keen to help you develop new products or enhance your existing ones!

Download this info sheet, which has an overview of what we reckon our Summer of Tech interns can do for YOU:

SoT2010 Manufacturing Projects

Interested?  Check out this page for more information for companies about Summer of Tech 2010.

Right now, SoT companies are furiously completing company profiles & projects on the Summer of Tech website, because the next round of Deadlines are fast approaching!  Here’s a quick overview of upcoming deadlines:

You can find a full list of activities & deadlines for Summer of Tech and for TechNZ funding, here:

SoT2010 Company Key Dates

For more Summer of Tech 2010 company information, check out this post

Check out @anistirk‘s great photo here!

For those who were unable to attend, sorry we couldn’t connect at the Meet & Greet, but it’s not too late to be part of Summer of Tech 2010!!

Companies of Wellington… it’s not too late to sign up!

Here’s a some company deadlines to think about:

• COMPANY REGISTRATIONS CLOSE – October-ish.  That is not a fixed deadline, we need all the host companies we can get!  However, if you want to maximise the benefits of the programme, and increase your chances of getting a top student interested in your role, we suggest you sign up before the end of August. This will give you time to take part in the Speed Interviews, and, if you’re super-onto-it, to apply for TechNZ funding (if you’re eligible & interested).
• SPEED INTERVIEWS – 7 & 8 September (before then, you’ll need to complete your company profile, set up a project (which is like a job description) and browse & shortlist candidates on our website)
• TechNZ APPLICATION – 10 September (if you’re interested in applying to TechNZ for funding to support your internship, you need to submit by 10 Sept.  If you want Grow Wellington to help you with this process, you’ll need to let us know by 31 August)

Students seeking a technology career… it’s nearly too late to sign up!

Here’s a couple of student deadlines to think about:

• STUDENT REGISTRATIONS CLOSE – 31 August
• ONLINE PROFILE – asap like now is good what are you waiting for stop reading and finish it QUICK!  Companies are browsing and shortlisting now.  If your profile is incomplete, you are “invisible”.  Enough said.

Here’s a quick re-cap on how the evening went:

To get things rolling, we turned the standard “recruitment process” on its head, requiring employers to “pitch” themselves to potential candidates.  Presentations from 34 companies which showcased an astounding array of innovative projects and technologies. From exciting startup to high-growth creative to established corporate, there is no stopping Wellington business when it comes to developing cool tech!

Because candidates and employers can “browse” each other via the Summer of Tech website, we asked companies to focus on the “fluffy stuff” like workplace culture and business aspirations.  And boy, they did   Turns out that for many companies, having @EpicBeer as our Meet & Greet beverage sponsor was a fairly good cultural fit!

Summer of Tech aspires to play a useful role as a bridge between industry and the education sector, provide a platform for employers to streamline their graduate recruitment, and source & invest in local top talent.  At the same time students are exposed to a range of opportunities they may never have known or thought of, right here on the doorstep!  Judging by the volume levels during the “greeting” part of the evening, a lot of this is being achieved.

2010 is the first year we’ve gone beyond “Code” projects.  The tech industry is becoming more competitive, more demanding and developing and releasing new products & services is harder than ever.  Summer of Tech’s wider reach now caters to companies who want a broader skill-set, “Code” is still important, and the thriving Wellington Web industry was certainly on show during the company intro’s last night! Equal emphasis is now placed on the creative thinking and approaches of “Design”, the problem solving and innovation of “Engineering” and the thinking, processing, management and execution of “Business Analysis”.

Above all, employers are still hiring on ATTITUDE and APTITUDE.  Technical skills are a given in this tight job market, you either got em already or you’ll learn em quick on the job.  Communication skills, professionalism, team fit and the “fluffy” stuff are where candidates need to excell.  If a paid summer internship is the result, perhaps those skills are not so “fluffy”, after all.

A huge thanks to all our helpers (especially Rebecca, KaiXin and Alastair, outstanding student-wranglers and SoC09 alumni… oh, and their employers Amberdms, Redvespa and CatalystIT who let us borrow them back for the evening!)

A huge thanks to all our sponsors and partners:  Massey University Events Team for the venue, Grow Wellington for helping with company-wrangling, TechNZ for your upcoming investment in summer internships, and all the fantastic individuals and organisations without whom Summer of Tech would not be possible.

Roll on Summer of 2010!!

UPDATED 13/8: Summer of Tech’s “tips” on TechNZ funding have been refreshed & rejuvenated. SoT companies, contact Ruth if you haven’t got a copy of our “guide” yet. Its a pdf that was emailed to you directly.
UPDATED 2/9: Notes on Grow Wellington assistance – see below
UPDATED 10/9: Deadline for Registrations of Interest now 17 Sept – see below

The Summer of Tech guidelines are available to companies registered for Summer of Tech 2010. If you’re not registered yet, it’s not too late!  Sign up here before the end of August and our friends at Grow Wellington will help you through the TechNZ process.

Grow Wellington is our local TechNZ regional partner.  Their role is purely ‘kerbside’ consultation.  They do not have any influence on the decision on expressions of interest, this sits with the TechNZ assessment panel.

By the way, Summer of Tech companies do NOT “have to” apply for TechNZ funding, this is an optional pathway only.  R&D funding may not be relevant to your company or your project, but if you choose to apply, we can support you through the process!

Here’s the highlights for those who are interested:

To apply to TechNZ for funding to support your Summer of Tech 2010 Intern:
You will need to complete a three page registration of interest document and submit to TechNZ by 17 September. This application form is available to be downloaded from the Foundation’s website – www.frst.govt.nz/technzinternships (go to the “Related Downloads” page on the top right hand side of the screen)

There you’ll also find a “fact sheet” which has all the ins & outs, including:

• it’s very competitive, TechNZ is keen to support high-growth, export-oriented companies undertaking strategic R&D projects
  
• the norm will be 1 intern funded per company
  
• you can apply for up to $16/hr for up to 400 hours (remember, we ask that you pay your intern a minimum of $18 per hour for Summer of Tech internships)
• TechNZ funding works as a reimbursement, that is, you need to pay your intern all summer, and claim the funding as a reimbursement at the end
• you must be GST registered and operating in a commercial environment to be eligible to apply

Key deadlines:

• Summer of Tech companies can get assistance with the application process, but you’ll need to contact us before 31 August to set up an appointment with Grow Wellington (sooner is fine!!)
• Completed registrations are due on 17 September (email to technzinternship@frst.govt.nz) (updated 10/9)
• You will be notified of their funding decision on  4 October (updated 10/9)
• You don’t need to know who your student is until 19 November (yes, this works in perfectly with the Summer of Tech timings)

More info:

Summer of Tech companies, contact Ruth

Other companies, contact your TechNZ Investment Manager (if you have one, you’ll have their contact info), or your local TechNZ Regional Partner.

(Students, move along please, nothing to see here, you can get some “inside tips” over HERE)

So, companies, this is your only chance to meet students in real life before interviews.  The rest of your “browsing” will be done via online profiles.

Format

• The Meet & Greet will start at 5.30pm, so please arrive a few minutes before to check in and get your nametag.  We’re expecting around 200 people, and will be in a big lecture theatre to start with, before moving on to a larger networking space
• Please take a seat in one of the front rows, which will be reserved for company representatives.
• The first part of the evening is when you introduce yourselves to students.  This is a quick intro & overview of your company & project(s).  The main purpose is so that YOU will be recognisable to students afterwards.
• Second part of the evening is an informal networking event.  Everyone is wearing nametags, and you’ll be able to clearly identify who is a potential intern and who is not.  It is up to students to introduce themselves to companies that are a match for their skills.
• Summer of Tech helpers will be on hand to help direct traffic.
• Light refreshments will be provided to help facilitate the networking.

Tips for Companies

• Do your homework!  Be prepared!  Student profiles are live on the Summer of Tech website right now.  Spend some time before Thursday researching the candidates, so that you know who you’re looking out for at the Meet & Greet.
• Your goal for the Meet & Greet is to get a better feel for your shortlist for job interviews.  Students have been asked to do their research, and to introduce themselves to you if they think you’re a match.  This is your opportunity to find out who has the right attitude & aptitude to join your team this summer.
• Remember that there are 4 different streams for Summer of Tech, so not all students will be relevant to your industry.
• It’s often a good idea to bring several staff members, and compare notes afterwards.  If that’s not possible, you can always jot down names and check out student profiles on the Summer of Tech website afterwards.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Meet & Greet, want to rsvp additional team  members, or send through a slide for your introductory presentation, please contact info (@) summeroftech.co.nz.

Directions

• Here’s a map of Massey’s Wellington campus.  The Meet & Greet is in the Old Museum building, via entrance D off Buckle Street.
• If on public transport from the Railway Station, we suggest you grab a bus to the Basin Reserve (e.g. a No. 1 or No. 44) and walk up from there.
• If you’re driving, there is very limited visitor parking at Massey, you might have more luck on Tasman or Tory St’s.
• There’s plenty of bicycle parking around campus, for those of you on 2 wheels.

Looking forward to a fantastic Meet & Greet for SoT2010!

Don’t forget to RSVP – log into your account and check out the “Events” page.

Internships are a great way to kick-start R&D in your business, with tangible bottom-line benefits for business.  We just found out about another event coming to Wellington that encourages networking between academics and industry, fostering the commercialisation of research, in areas as diverse as industrial processes to smart grids, robotics & photonics to textile innovation to nano technology…

If you’re a Wellington technology business, you might like to check out the High Tech Innovations event, brought to you by Manufacturing NZ, happening 4 August at Te Papa.  More info & rsvp here.

Looks like some quality presenters, great networking, and opportunities for collaboration and ultimately commercial success.