From the Vice-President
April 2016
This month the TechCommNZ team has been working behind the scenes on a number of connection-themed initiatives on your behalf – connecting industry with education, building a new member directory to help you connect with each other, and organising events where you can meet other lovers of Tech Comms.
The Graduate Diploma of Information Design Reimagined
The big news this month is that a new information design qualification is in the works. Since CPIT announced the demise of the online Graduate Diploma of Information Design (GDID), we’ve been busy consulting in the background on the replacement qualification. In March, TechCommNZ president Emma Harding helped convene a panel of industry experts, who then held discussions with Ara Institute of Canterbury (formerly CPIT) to explore the latest industry requirements for information design graduates. We’re pleased to report that Ara is developing two new programmes to replace the online GDID. You can read more about them in this month’s article New information design qualifications start to take shape.
Recently, industry have been telling us that the demand for quality technical communicators, information designers, and content developers is growing. Commitment to this new qualification by Ara highlights the importance of industry-relevant qualifications in developing professionals to meet this demand.
Professional Connections
“I think it is important that we all come together and collaborate more.”
This comment from Ahbay Chokshi, last month’s featured technical communicator, got me thinking about the value of professional connections, and the role that TechCommNZ can play in this area.
Have you ever thought about just how many people your TechCommNZ membership connects you with? There are currently 400+ people just like you – like-minded professionals from around New Zealand with diverse experience in a broad range of industries, from aviation to education. Think of all the knowledge, experience, and invaluable professional connections they can offer.
Through branch meetings, conferences, workshops, blog posts, featured technical communicator articles, and social media, TechCommNZ helps you create connections with those 400 people. If you’re not already using these opportunities to increase your professional network, we encourage you to do so. Business is built on relationships, and the more you have, the more doors will open.
Making Connections
Traditionally, branch meetings and conferences have been the main way for technical communicators to connect, and this face-to-face method is still the best way to meet others. Yes, it takes guts to walk into a room full of strangers and start talking to them, but it can definitely be worth it.
If branch meetings aren’t your thing, or you struggle to get to them due to other commitments, horrendous traffic, or a clingy 3 year old, let us know how else we can help you connect. If there isn’t a branch in your area and you’d like to start a monthly TechCommNZ meeting, an online forum, or a tech comm special interest group (e.g. Agile, DITA, or information architecture), let us know at comms@techcomm.nz. We’d love to help promote your event to the wider TC community and can also provide a few tips for organising your event.
Member Directory
This year, we’re also investing in developing a TechCommNZ member directory. You’ll be able to see who the current members of TechCommNZ are, where they work, and what type of experience and skills they have. We hope you’ll embrace the spirit of the directory and use it as a way to connect with others and to build the New Zealand technical communication community. We’re also looking at other ways for members to engage each other directly, so feel free to share your ideas with us.
In the meantime, visit a branch meeting, convince your boss to let you go to the 2017 conference, like us on Facebook, subscribe to the blog, or look for us on LinkedIn.
You don’t know where that next connection might lead…
Claire Nicholson
Vice-President