Vision
Accelerating Auckland's Regional ICT Internship Programme brings together academics, industry practitioners and high-performing, highly motivated students to work in small groups on industry-sponsored short-term projects. Projects are led by professional project managers supported by mentoring and coaching for interns from industry practitioners and academics.
A programme of seminars on entrepreneurship, management, marketing, technology and business context for ICT development supports the programme. Interns are encouraged to attend - and contribute to - the seminar programme.
Benefits
For companies internships offer a chance to work with and help develop potential new hires, advance in-house investigative projects, develop staff mentoring and project management skills and network with other businesses.
For students an internship is an opportunity to achieve "business-readiness" on graduation, gain structured, high-value work experience and networks and get paid a scholarship while doing it.
Within the programme Academics gain the opportunity to extend their business contacts and develop a greater awareness of ICT business needs from both interns and their host companies
Approach
Internships run for approximately 10 weeks over the summer break from late November to mid-February. The Seminar series runs in parallel with Internship projects. Accelerating Auckland is building a pool of companies and industry mentors who will participate in the programme over a period of several years, aligning each company’s needs with those of the. Tertiaries and graduates in the programme.
Accelerating Auckland's usual approach to establishing the internship programme is as follow:
Role of the Industry Mentors
In addition to host company project sponsors – Company Mentors work alongside interns in a coaching role. Mentors work closely with interns, academics and the project manager to oversee project development and provide interns industry-focused guidance. A key benefit for companies is this opportunity for young managers to help develop the "next generation" of their workmates. Accelerating Auckland's aim is to ensures the company mentor involvement a "light weight", while still significant, experience overseeing interns and working with academics and the Project Manager.
Role of the Project Manager
Our experience has demonstrated a high level of project management is required to ensure maximum value from an Intern’s project. An experienced, industry Project Manager is assigned to each project to provide project oversight along with supporting project definition and ongoing project management with the Company and Tertiary. The Project Manager will deliver guidance on scope, methodologies, resources, timings and quality assurance.
Project Types
Most projects are of an exploratory nature such as new technology tools, method investigation; non-critical path of commercial product development; alternative path investigation for commercial product development, proof-of-concept design and prototypes. Examples of a typical project might be exploring issues of using web services technology for an existing product, including simple designs, prototypes or exploring the capabilities of new versions of ICT tools or developing additional reporting or data visualisation capabilities for existing company product; prototype such as a proof-of-concept mobile phone user interface for part of an existing company product.
The types of Projects that can be resourced will vary between tertiary institutions depending on the focus of their study programmes.
Company Commitments & Costs
For sponsoring companies that qualify for FRST support the per student contribution is
$3,000 plus GST. (Non qualifying companies $5,000 plus GST per student)
Additional investment is on the basis of identifying suitable project(s) to sponsor; resourcing the roles of Company Sponsor(s); Company Mentor(s) and potentially a speaker for the joint seminar series. The Sponsor and Company Mentor need to be committed to participation for duration of the project.
The NZSE programme offers a 6 week internship. The cost per qualifying intern is $2,500 plus GST.
How can my Company Get Involved?
Please phone Greig Wakefield (027 489 2676) or e-mail bsinclair@AcceleratingAuckland.co.nz and we will discuss the suitability of your projects with you.
