Breaking mould for budding techies
Northland Inc has great expectations of its Developers’ Institute, a school for software developers, ready to break the mould of the tech world nationally.
Based at The Orchard, Northland Inc’s collaborative business and event space for the region’s growing community of entrepreneurs, start-ups and established businesses in Whanga¯rei, Developers’ Institute is committed to delivering industry-focused training to support high-value opportunities in Northland via what customer experience manager Tamara Ross described as a unique flagship web-development programme.
“We believe that the traditional methods of education in our industry are no longer working, which is why we’re doing things a little differently at Developers’ Institute,” she said. “Our software development education is delivered by experienced industry professionals, actual developers themselves, who still cut code and deliver on real client projects.
“Our curriculum is state of the art, agile and focused specifically on preparing students for their professional future in software. You’ll be learning in a studio-style environment that mirrors the real world, right down to the tools we use, discussing lunch options or sharing YouTube videos.
“We deliver leading-edge course content in pursuit of our passion for technology, inspiring students to find a true pathway to employment. Furthermore, we believe that our job isn’t complete until every one of our students is employed.”
Joseph Stuart, Northland Inc’s general manager of business innovation and growth, said the team had been working closely with Developers for a few years, and had been impressed by its focus on identifying a gap in the market and making positive things happen for the region.
Having successfully run a web development pilot course late last year, company director Ruth Green-Cole said she was now busy leading the business to the next level. The first fulltime programme began on February 17, with further opportunities for students to enrol in April and June.
The web development programme is 36 weeks in four course areas — client-side, server-side, full-stack and enterprise development.
“The rave reviews from students off the back of our pilot course proved that our style of learning really works,” Mrs Ross said. The target market was 25 to 45-year-olds.
“We want to encourage career-changers, upskillers and mums who want to go back to work, people from as diverse backgrounds as possible,” she said.
“The Orchard is a great environment to work in, and has enabled us to quickly become operational.”
Genie van Paassen, business growth co-ordinator at The Orchard, believed the company was a natural fit.
“Being able to support an enterprise like Developers’ Institute to get up and running was why The Orchard was set up,” she said. “From receiving investment through The Pick (Northland Inc’s business accelerator competition) in 2018 to Northland Inc’s strategic development support and industry connections, we’ve been able to work with Developers to lower the risks involved in a start-up launch, ease some administrative pressure, and provide a real-life working environment for budding techies.
“The commitment to enriching their hauka¯inga, to bringing high-value opportunities to Northland, is right in line with The Orchard’s kaupapa.” To apply, go to www. developers.ac.nz/programmes/ web-development