ICT-Connect: connecting IT professionals with students

September 2014

We know anecdotally that many technical communicators - at least in New Zealand - discover their profession by happy accident. For this reason among others, we're delighted to announce TCANZ's involvement in ICT-Connect - a nationwide in-school programme that seeks to inspire and educate young people about their future in IT .

By getting involved with ICT-Connect, we have the opportunity to get in front of young people and tell them about our interesting and challenging career before they start university. They can head into tertiary education armed with the knowledge that information design is a valid follow-on option, and lucrative career, for many graduates.

As Emily Cotlier (a US-educated TechCommNZ committee member who has an MA in technical communication) once said to me: "I knew I wanted to be a technical writer when I first heard about the career at school".

There are other benefits to our involvement: we are also telling the next generation of programmers, project managers, business analysts, and entrepreneurs about our role in the world of information technology.

This programme has been established by the Institute of IT Professionals, and we are very grateful for their support. However, for this partnership to be truly successful, we also need you! If you're interested in getting involved, read more about participation in ICT-Connect on our Partners page.

Emma Harding