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National | Technology

60,000 Māori and Pacific youth targeted for ICT jobs by 2020

One of New Zealand's largest after-school cyber learning programmes, High Tech Youth, has the aim of filling all vacant technology and ICT jobs by 2020.

High Tech Youth is a programme for young people in underprivileged communities.

An Indigenous Innovation Hui will be held in Auckland, where students from over 70 schools, community groups and leaders from New Zealand's top technology companies will come together.

Chairperson of High Tech Youth, Sam Chapman says, "technology is shattering traditional economic norms, where before people made money through an individual competitive advantage, in the new digital world it is the willingness to share and collaborate that gives you and your whanau the advantage. This way of thinking and doing is not unfamiliar to indigenous people. Technology and culture together have the potential to radically transform New Zealand's so-called underserved communities for good."

The Chief Executive of High Tech Youth, Mike Usmar says only 1% of Māori are studying ICT at tertiary level.

"With just 2.5% of the Maori workforce employed in the ICT sector, we have to ask ourselves why? And more importantly, what would New Zealand look like socially and economically, if the thousands of young people we see turning up each day at our High Tech Youth Studio's had the full backing to transform the future of this country – the struggle with housing, health, unemployment, gone.”

High Tech Youth as a network recognises the goal of 60,000 ICT jobs filled is an ambitious task. Usmar says, “We know our young people can equally foot it on the global cyber stage. We are credentialing youth as young as thirteen with adult industry certifications, and just this weekend a young person from our West Auckland Studio was sponsored along with his mentor to the Sundance Next Fest Film Festival in Los Angeles in recognition of his expertise in cinematography”.

The conference will be held on 26 August at the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, Auckland.