Singapore Tech Talent in Demand in New Zealand

New Zealand’s capital city,
Wellington, is searching for tech talent from Singapore, among other countries,
as part of its recruitment initiative, LookSee Wellington.

The initiative will see 100 IT professionals
selected to come to Wellington, with their flights and accommodation paid for,
for a series of pre-arranged job interviews with employers who have roles that
match their skills. Those interested in applying have until 30 March to do so.

Wellington NZ opens doors to
tech talent

New Zealand’s capital city Wellington, home to a
world-leading technology industry, is welcoming tech talent from around the
globe with a bold new recruitment initiative, LookSee Wellington<http://www.wellingtonnz.com/work/looksee-wellington/>, which launched last week.

LookSee Wellington will see 100 IT professionals
selected to come to Wellington, with their flights and accommodation paid for,
for a series of pre-arranged job interviews with employers who have roles that
match their skills.

The innovative talent attraction initiative is
designed to address the city’s IT skills shortage. It is led by the Wellington
Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) and Workhere New Zealand, which
specialises in global talent attraction, and is supported by the New Zealand
Immigration Service and NZTech.

Wellington Mayor, Justin Lester, says the city
knows there is fierce competition globally for talented tech professionals, so
we need to be creative in attracting attention.

“LookSee Wellington is about giving people who
might be open to moving to this side of the world a chance to come and have a
‘look-see’ before deciding to relocate, and without having to pay to get here
to inform their decision-making.

“It’s also designed to make it easy for them to
meet multiple employers – to make the best use of their time – and to get the
chance to see and experience what else Wellington has to offer,” says the Mayor.

Wellington’s tech scene includes companies that
have already made a mark globally, such as Oscar-winning Weta Digital, online
accountancy giant Xero, IT system builders Datacom, and volumetric virtual
reality pioneers 8i, as well as around 900 start-up companies.

Xero Chief Executive Rod Drury says the company is
doing world-class work in Wellington alongside its shift to the Amazon Web
Services platform, which allows developers to really delve into rewarding and
challenging work in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“There are huge opportunities for talented tech
professionals to enhance their careers doing work that’s right up there
globally, while also enjoying an awesome lifestyle at the same time. Wellington
is a great place for anyone who’s into outdoor pursuits – it has incredible
mountain biking, windsurfing, and paddle boarding – and also has a thriving
arts scene and more cafés and restaurants per head of population than almost
anywhere else. It’s a compact city with a collaborative spirit, and is a really
creative and energising place to live and work,” says Mr Drury.

Shijun Haw moved from Singapore to Wellington
three years ago, and believes the city punches above its weight.
Armed with a Computer Science degree from the
National University of Singapore and a passion for computer graphics, Shijun
now works at Weta Digital in Wellington.

“Weta Digital is one of the world’s leading movie
visual effects and animation companies. We work closely with directors,
producers and many creative and technical experts in the film industry to
produce realistic computer generated images,” says Shijun.

“Making a film is complicated, and involves both
artistic and technical expertise across hundreds of members at Weta. I am part
of a team that helps turn one of many cogs in that process.

“The focus of my role is rendering, which involves
taking abstract objects that represent the world in the film and simulates the
physics of light interaction on these objects to produce realistic-looking
images. There aren’t a lot of roles available globally on a renderer like
Manuka, so when the opportunity at Weta came up, I jumped at the chance.”

To Shijun, the impressive technical work Weta
undertakes was impossible to resist, and he wasn’t surprised to find Weta has a
strong culture of innovation and experimentation.

Alongside the new job, Shijun has settled into a
comparatively different lifestyle in Wellington.

“I find that living in a smaller city is a good
thing. It helps foster much closer relationships and I’m able to grow my career
in exciting new ways. New Zealand has so much to offer as a major tourist
destination and it has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and
Wellington is right at the doorstep given its central location.

“Wellington is full of charm and I’ve enjoyed my
time here. It’s small but there’s so much to do, and new experiences on offer –
I can even cycle to work. It’s a safe and great place to live and work, and I
find I’m a lot happier in Wellington as a result,” says Shijun.

IT professionals who want to be considered for
selection for LookSee Wellington have until 20 March to register and apply. The 100 candidates
selected for LookSee Wellington week will travel to Wellington from 8 – 11 May. They will each have a full itinerary of job
interviews and fun activities to showcase Wellington’s charms.

How LookSee Wellington works:

  *   LookSee Wellington is a collaborative talent attraction programme between WREDA and Workhere New Zealand, supported by Immigration New Zealand and NZTech.
  *   Candidates simply go to the LookSee Wellington campaign site to register.
  *   Candidates are pre-screened by Workhere New Zealand in collaboration with participating employers who nominate their preferred candidates for a place on the LookSee Wellington programme
  *   The 100 selected candidates travel to Wellington (with their flights and accommodation paid for) to spend four days doing interviews with prospective employers and getting out to see what makes the capital a great place to live, work and play.
  *   Their visit will also coincide with TechWeek’17 in May, which showcases the thriving local tech industry.
  *   Employers make job offers.

About Wellington

Energetic and creative, Wellington has been called the world’s ‘coolest little capital’ by Lonely Planet. Situated between a stunning harbour and bush-clad hills, the Wellington region is home to 405,000 residents who enjoy an active lifestyle, with trails for running, walking and mountain biking and ocean for surfing, sailing and kayaking.

Known as New Zealand’s cultural capital, art adorns the streets as well as gallery walls and a calendar of music, theatre, dance and festivals keeps life entertaining. There are said to be more restaurants, bars and cafés per capita than New York and the craft beer scene is hopping. Home to New Zealand’s government, Wellington is known for its tech sector, screen industry, scientific research work, professional service expertise and high-value manufacturing. The city’s workforce is the most educated in New Zealand, and the highest paid.