Frucor Real Life sessions prepare AUT students for Industry 4.0
Auckland University of Technology (AUT) has collaborated with Frucor Beverages to help students prepare for successful careers in the rapidly changing world of IT.
Over the past nine weeks, Frucor’s business technology team has delivered a series of Real Life sessions for Bachelor of Computer Information and Sciences (BCIS) students at AUT South Campus.
The series covered a breadth of topics, from future trends in IT and what employers are looking for, to choosing the right roles and nailing the job interview.
Industry 4.0 – the fourth industrial revolution, characterised by an astonishing rise in the volume of data, computational power, connectivity and networks – will reshape the way things are made. It will also transform the future job market.
Organiser, Endre Faklya, Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at Frucor, told AUT students that their careers will look completely different. Many of the jobs on the horizon don’t even exist yet.
“For the next generation, everything is faster and constantly changing. You need to develop the ability to learn, unlearn and relearn in order to remain competitive,” he said.
The discussion panel, experts in business analysis, project management and service delivery, agreed that the greatest attributes in the less linear world of IT are curiosity, agility and personality.
‘T-shaped’ people – with broader skills and knowledge, who learn by connecting different perspectives and specialities – will become increasingly valuable.
First-year BCIS student, Peter van der Voorn, has already applied his Real Life learnings to great success – he just landed a warehouse and procurement role with a local firm for the summer.
“The sessions helped clarify what employers are looking for in my CV,” he said.
For van der Voorn, the end-goal is software development, but he now sees everything in between as an opportunity to learn. He also has a greater appreciation of the value of soft skills, like creativity, communication and collaboration.
“It’s important to know that the first job is not where you’re going to end up. You need to understand the company, people and processes before you get there. Roles like helpdesk and customer service allow you to develop that knowledge as well as problem-solving skills.”
Faklya said the Real Life sessions were a huge success and have paved the way for ongoing collaboration between Frucor and AUT South Campus.
Frucor is based in Manukau and employs more than 500 people.
AUT South Campus is the only university in South Auckland.