Here's a quick weekly update from ITP CEO Paul Matthews.
It seems to be the "storm before the calm" for everyone at the moment - the time of year when everything goes a bit crazy-busy before it goes quiet for the summer holiday. I hope you're thriving over this time.
Even though you're likely really busy, I'm really hoping you'll give an hour or two of your time to consider your and your team's mental health.
How is your team's mental health?
That's sometimes a scary question to ask yourself and your team, but it's increasingly important - both from a productivity and a health and safety perspective.
How much are you prepared to invest in your and your team's mental health?
All we're asking for is an hour or two of your (and your team's) time to pop along to events we're running across New Zealand to help equip you with the tools and knowledge to thrive. These sessions are funded by ITP and free for members. Everyone is welcome (whether you're an ITP member or not).
These aren't group therapy sessions or airy-fairy - they're a presentation from an expert, followed by Q&A, to help you:
- Learn the difference between mental health, mental illness and stress
- Understand why wellbeing and mental health in the workplace is important
- Identify signs of stress and overwhelm using the cognitive behavioural model of stress
- Recognise the importance of recovery for wellbeing, mental health and performance - and discuss how to practically implement some of these strategies
This is absolutely crucial for your and your team's performance - a few simple things can make a massive difference and this is especially true in our sector, where fast pace, constant change, stress and pressure is everywhere.
So we've hired two leading Registered Clinical Psychologists from Umbrella to travel all around New Zealand and lead sessions with IT professionals about thriving and resilience, and we need you there.
These sessions are really important. We do lots of events, but this is different.
We have sessions next week in Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington, with sessions in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Palmerston North later in the month. These are FREE for ITP members and inexpensive to non-members. Everyone is welcome, and please do bring your team along.
Click here to register for this really important presentation (registration essential).
ITP and NZQA working more closely on tertiary degrees
While by convention we don't name institutions going through ITP Degree Accreditation until the process is complete, we're undertaking our first joint Approval/Accreditation visit with the NZ Qualifications Authority of a Polytechnic/Institute of Technology later this month following our signing of an MOU with NZQA recently.
As a result of the MOU and agreement with NZQA, ITP will now be working more closely and supporting NZQA in the Degree Approval process for new IT-related degrees in the Institute of Technology, Polytechnic and PTE space, including nominating some of the panellists for NZQA Approval visits and collaborating more closely with NZQA on an ongoing basis.
Also, tertiary institutions can now opt to have their NZQA Qualification Approval and ITP Degree Accreditation for new degree programmes undertaken at the same time by one slightly expanded panel rather than 2 separate panel visits - meaning significant time and cost savings for tertiary providers while also ensuring a strong industry voice in the process.
ITP undertakes Accreditation of computing and IT-related degree programmes across the University and Polytechnic/Institute of Technology sector. This is essentially a globally-recognised industry endorsement of those bachelor degrees that provide a good pathway to the tech industry - in New Zealand and around the world. It also increases the recognition of degree programmes (and the students with those degrees) around the world, via an international cross-recognition agreement called the Seoul Accord. More
You can see the list of currently Accredited IT-related degrees here. A number of others are in the process of seeking Accreditation.
New Cybersecurity and Software Testing qualifications
As mentioned briefly last week, ITP is also the co-developer of all sub-degree qualifications on the NZ Qualifications Framework related to computing and IT. This means we and a different area of NZQA jointly run the consultation process to create all of the recognised IT-related Certificate and Diploma qualifications taught in Polytechnics, Institutes of Technology and Private Training Establishments in New Zealand.
We've spent a long time developing new L6 Diploma qualifications in Cybersecurity and Testing, including various rounds of consultation with industry and providers over the last year. We're very pleased to have received confirmation that these have now been approved, meaning they'll be listed on the NZ Qualifications Framework and available very soon. More info here.
Once qualifications are listed on the Framework, tertiary providers can apply for Programme Approval to teach them and award them.
ITP invests significant time and effort to ensure that IT-related qualifications meet industry needs. Over the last few years we've led a process with NZQA to replace all sub-degree qualifications in New Zealand (following a broad consultation process to determine industry demand and work backwards to qualifications pathways to industry), standardised the qualifications pathway to ensure higher quality and relevance, and accredited many of the degree programmes that produce graduates that best meet the needs of industry.
In Wellington? Save the date (5th December)
The National Finals and mini-Expo for the 123Tech Challenge will be at 4pm-6pm on Wednesday 5th December in Wellington.
This is going to be a monumental event. Held at Te Papa, this will include a mini-showcase of great things happening in the sector, awesome projects school students have been working on as part of the Challenge, and much more. MC'd by Nanogirl Michelle Dickinson and including afternoon tea, it's a really awesome way of connecting industry and education.
We're really hoping heaps of members and others will come along and help celebrate success, so please save the date! A formal invite will come out shortly.
by Paul Brislen, Editor
I listed the digital divide as the single biggest issue facing the new CTO, as something that needed to be addressed immediately.
That didn't work out so well but the issue remains high on the list of things that need fixing in New Zealand, albeit on a list with some good company. Teaching and health issues are up there, along with public transport, decent employment laws, better privacy and data management legislation and a bunch of other things to boot.
But it's definitely up there on the list.
I'm not just talking about the urban-rural divide, although that's the most obvious one. We are developing a two-tier network and, as Hamish MacEwan says so well in his piece below, there is a cost to that decision.
[PLUS: Access to content is starting to change the game... and security theatre: not as much fun as a night at the actual theatre]
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