Jayen and Tom both came into PartsTrader as Summer of Tech interns and ended up building long term careers there. They’ve moved through different teams, picked up new tech stacks, taken on more responsibility and figured out how to work in a real product environment. Their experiences show how much you can grow in a short internship when you’re curious, ask questions and make the most of the support around you, and they’re a good reminder of the value interns bring when employers give them the space to learn and contribute.

When Jemimah and Maddy joined Pushpay as Summer of Tech interns, they had no idea it would be the start of something bigger. Their internships turned into full-time roles — and since then, they’ve been growing, learning, and making their mark in the tech industry.

We sat down with them to chat about what helped them get their foot in the door, how they approached those first few months, and the lessons they’d share with anyone hoping to turn a Summer of Tech internship into their first big career move.

From Summer interns to full-time Trade Me team members - Aorthi and Hannah’s journeys are a great example of where a Summer of Tech internship can take you. We chatted with them about how they got started, what’s changed since those first days, and their best advice for new interns preparing for their own career beginnings.

With the disestablishment of Callaghan Innovation, many intern employers are asking what’s happening with the R&D Experience Grants, which were a great way to get intern projects supported through a contribution to intern wages. Here’s what we know, which is that the grants will continue, but will move to MBIE.

Summer of Tech has impacted 2,898 talented individuals embarking on tech careers in 2024. 1,034 students and graduates attended 78 free events, and 132 were hired into tech internships and grad roles. Discover more insights into our 2024 programme.

Our team is taking a break, thank you for all your support, we’ll catch you in January 2025

Summer of Tech alum (cohort of 2015) Senior Software Engineer Lena Plaksina has mentored and supported new entrants into tech careers. She shares tips and tricks to help you get started in your tech internship, make the most of the next few months, and put your best foot forward.

2024 has seen huge student engagement, a super-sized volunteer crew, and very low job numbers. We took a deep dive into the data for our first 100 placements this year, showing markedly different hiring trends for new tech talent.

This week we welcomed Buzzy back to facilitate our ever-popular recruitment panel! We heard from a diverse range of hiring managers from the Summer of Tech community, their goal is to give candidates a flavour for how different companies interview, what they’re looking for, tips and tricks.

80% of New Zealand graduates have little or no confidence in their job prospects, according to a recent survey. What a waste of talent, potential, and social investment. Under-investing in interns and grads will have ripple effects for decades to come, NOW is the time to grow our future.

Summer intern recruitment season is coming! Here's some tips to help students and graduates prepare for behavioural, technical, online and offline interviews. Remember an “interview” is just a conversation about you and how you match with their role. Kia kaha!

Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for helping to deliver free events, providing informative, inspirational and supportive workshop content to aspiring tech and engineering professionals. This year 1,034 students and graduates attended an average of 3.5 Summer of Tech events. Here’s some insights on our 2024 bootcamp data.

Candidate registrations for 2024 have closed, please check back in January to sign up for our 2025 programme.

In late 2023, MBIE engaged Summer of Tech to carry out a discovery project, to research, engage and work with different players/roles in the tech skills system to uncover and define requirements for a nationwide internship service as a way to address the tech skills shortage in New Zealand.

Hiring interns and graduates isn't just a strategic move—it's a crucial investment in the future of your team, and the industry. By mentoring juniors, you create a pipeline of talented, innovative contributors who can bring fresh perspectives and handle smaller tasks, freeing up senior staff for bigger projects. It's an investment that pays off as they become valuable team members even by the end of a 10 week internship!