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New Zealand’s Tech Skills Shortage Presents an Amazing Opportunity to Those Looking to Reskill or Upskill

As is well-reported, New Zealand is in the grips of a tech skills shortage, with many organisations expecting to feel its impact well into 2023. According to Hays, one of New Zealand’s leading recruitment firms, the situation is unparalleled in their 46 years in the business.

The emergence of COVID-19 sent the world into a flat spin and a global lockdown. Many opted to repatriate to their home country, taking their skills with them.  With international borders closed globally, countries had to settle for local talent. N.Z’s tech sector, primarily dominated by immigrant workers, were left fishing from a shallow pool.

Before COVID, immigrants filled as many as 4,500 high-paid tech roles in some 20,000 tech firms annually; in their absence, there was a significant disparity between supply and demand.

The good news is that our international borders are reopening to the world, and with that, will come a flood of skilled labour; this will boost N.Z’s economy and give the tech industry the wings it needs to achieve phenomenal growth.

However, plugging these gaps will take time, and there is concern that international competition will challenge N.Z’s allure, especially where salary, job prospects, and career mobility are concerned.

If you are a Kiwi, now is a great time to upskill or reskill – particularly if you already work in tech or have been considering redirecting your path.  Digitisation is rampant across all sectors and the tech industry is on a clear and rampant trajectory in a skyward direction globally. Now is the time to act.

According to the Hays  2022/23 Salary Guide, 88% of organisations surveyed said they have offered higher salaries than initially planned to find the right employees, while 66% of employees said they benefitted financially from changing jobs in the past year.

Furthermore, with the pressure to deliver firmly in the employee’s court, Hays recommend that any job offer be compelling. Along with a competitive salary, they suggest the promise of flexible work environments, professional development opportunities, and alignment between personal and professional purpose.

It’s an employee’s market!

With software engineers and cloud specialists named among the most in-demand tech jobs, Mission Ready’s Full Stack Developer Accelerator and Advanced Software Developer (AI and Cloud) Accelerator courses will prepare you to enter the workforce and hit the ground running.

Be ready to stake your claim in a thriving industry. Be ready to grow with an industry where the sky is the ceiling. Be Mission Ready.

Contact us now to learn more!

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From Global Brand Ambassador to Web Dev: A Successful Transition

Meet Raymond Letoa, Current Scholarship Recipient! 

It’s not every day that you hear of a Global Brand Ambassador who travels the world and gives it all up for a life in the fast-growing technology industry. Meet Raymond Letoa. Not only was Raymond a Global brand ambassador for The House of Angostura, but before joining Mission Ready, he was also Co-owner of Roxy Cinema in Miramar, Wellington.  

“Pre-Covid days, I was in the entertainment and hospitality industry a Global Brand Ambassador for ‘The House of Angostura’ who make great rum and bitters, showcasing their products to many groups and audiences from masterclasses to guest shifts and more.” 

Why I chose a career in Tech

This glam career came to a halt in 2020 when the world plummeted into Covid-19. However, due to the economic pressures on the hospitality industry, Raymond decided to take on take on a new career.   

“I returned to New Zealand with a desire to take up a career in technology, more specifically web development. Then, of course, with research, I discovered Mission Ready.” 

Through the various options of accelerators available with Mission Ready, Raymond signed up for the Level 4 Full Stack Web Development Accelerator, which covered the fundamentals of coding, industry best practices and new frameworks. 

“I progressed to undertake my Level 5 ADV Software Development Accelerator, which covered cloud technologies, collaboration exercises, working in and learning agile methodologies and more.”  

And then my Tech Internship… 

Raymond is currently enrolled in the Level 6 Accelerator program and is enjoying his industry placement that Mission Ready organised for him. 

“Currently I am working with Auckland Council as a Developer on a project called ’Technius’. This project is a web-based application in the form of a game intended for students from 9-14 years old. It helps students understand and clarify what their tech career path could look like.” 

Where to next? 

At Mission Ready, the opportunities are endless; Raymond has decided to put his best practices to the test. 

“Over the next couple of months, I want to create a few more projects with some amazing individuals I have met through Mission Ready. I’d like to build a portfolio to show potential future employers what I am capable of.” 

Considering tech? My advice to you! 

Raymond is a success story of the Full Stack Pathway offered by Mission Ready and a strong advocate for taking risks and pursuing new visions in a rapidly changing world. 

“The first step is always the scariest, the hardest, the most nerve-wracking and understandably so, but Mission Ready has many resources to guide you through the whole journey; no one gets left behind.” 

Raymond has also joined the Mission ready team as a support tutor. He is passionate about helping others to find their feet in tech and would love to see you succeed there too!

If you would like to have a no-obligation chat with one of our team you can contact us here. 

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Bushman to E-Learning Web Developer

Meet Cam Nepe

Hailing from Gizzy, the East Coast of New Zealand. Cam has been a Bushman and Lecturer in Forestry at the local Polytech, EIT. Cam moved to Hamilton, and he decided to take a positive step toward his future career in tech. “I had done an ICT Diploma through EIT, so I was lucky enough to cross-credit straight into the Mission Ready Level 6 Advanced Accelerator that got me an internship with KeteKai.”

My Tech Internship

“At KeteKai, I worked within a team of three other interns, one other developer, and a UX designer which was great. We were going to do a re-vamp of the site. The UX designer would help by consulting with their clients to find out the easiest and best way they would like to use the Ketekai website and us developers were going to build it.  We learned a lot of different things there including some coding languages like typescript which is another version of JavaScript.” Says Cam. 

Getting a Job In Tech

“Halfway through the internship, I started applying for jobs. I applied at Learning Works for a web developer role. Learning Works are a passionate and experienced team of learning designers trainers and learning technologists who collaborate with their clients to create engaging learner-focused resources. These resources can be print-based, blended, or eLearning based.” Cam missed out on the role but after the interview, the manager and CEO liked him so much that they tailor-made him a role on their Learning Tech team.  

Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. There is always something to learn.” – Cam Nepe

What do you really do?

“My role as an e-learning web developer allows me to learn new things all the time and apply what I’ve learned to create innovative learning solutions that serve both stakeholders and end-users. I work with the support desk to help clients that are having problems with their platforms. I help by triaging issues that could be with their database or servers. I never stopped being a teacher! I also help with the online learning team as a trainer. I help new users navigate Moodle.” 

Advice for you!

We asked Cam what advice he would give anyone looking at a career in tech.

“Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. There is always something to learn.” If you enjoy learning and being curious and enjoy learning new things and building things, Software development or UX design might be the answer for you too! Learn more about our programmes now! 

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It’s All Tech: How Coronavirus Accelerated Our Move To The Fifth Revolution.

In the 1700s, we had the first industrial revolution. It ushered in urbanization and work for people in factories. The second industrial revolution improved transport and communication and gave us the gift of automation. The third revolution brought forth the rise of electronics, telecommunications and of course computers. The fourth one, in which we find ourselves presently, improved communication and connectivity further, and continues to make advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics and augmented reality. In the last 100 years, the technological landscape has changed like never before.

Few would dispute that this period of profound change has sharply accelerated in the last 2 months with Covid-19 transforming everything. The pandemic has not only dramatically changed the way we work, but also sped the adoption of  new technology, leading companies across industries into a more mature state of IoT technology and workflow. It has also accelerated our progress to the 5th industrial revolution. 

Adoption of new technology, however, only defines the tip of the impact the 5th Industrial Revolution will have on the world. Many of us are already getting used to the idea of becoming digital natives, but as the fourth and fifth revolutions work in parallel, this way of being is set to expand even further.  

The days of the typical 9 to 5 are numbered. Regardless of whether you live in New York or New Delhi, technology will allow you to work from where you live. This, even as AI and robotics drive a move towards automation, forcing governments to rethink labour laws and economics.

Some of this change is already underway. Just think about it, unlike our parents, or those from a generation ago, who stuck it out at a single job for their whole lives, most people currently prefer switching jobs in the interest of better pay and prospects. The gig economy has allowed millions to become their own bosses, working on specific projects in their area of expertise. 

The Fifth Revolution will change this even further. Research already predicts that half of the jobs in the US – equivalent to around $15 trillion in wages (£11.8tn) – have the potential to be automated. Businesses around the world have already started looking at ways to make things more efficient, delegating routine tasks to bot technology and simple AI. 

As we are finding out, this is a time of great disruption. In contrast to trends in the previous revolutions that resulted in dehumanization of labour, experts say the fifth industrial revolution will help re-establish business’s connection to humanity and social good, by centering it’s mission towards purpose, instead of profit.

We are however in many ways still unprepared to ride this new wave. According to The Future of Jobs Report 2018, nearly 50% of companies expect that automation will lead to some reduction in their full-time workforce by 2022. Among the range of established roles that are set to experience increasing demand are Data Analysts and Scientists, Software and Applications Developers, and Ecommerce and Social Media Specialists, roles that are significantly based on and enhanced by the use of technology.

To be equipped for the times ahead requires a paradigm shift  in the way we think about the future of work. On an individual level, it means recognizing the challenges and preparing for it. At the level of the individual, it requires choosing a career of the future, or being future ready for it by investing in the right skills.. 

It’s clear that tech skills are more valuable today than they ever have been. They’ll continue to play a huge role when it comes to fighting the COVID-19 crisis, as well as any future crises.

At Mission Ready HQ, it is our mission to train people in skills of the future.  If a pivot into tech interests you, or you want to start a career in it , check out the accelerators we offer here.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in tech, but don’t know where to begin, take this free self assessment to know more!

The world currently is in a disruptive stage, as the fifth industrial revolution unfolds to impact our lives—for better or for worse. Now we wait and observe what the future has in store for us.