WelTec and Whitireia debut new IT degree

Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec) and Whitireia New Zealand have introduced a new Bachelor of Information Technology course to be available in 2019.

The course, which is still subject to approval from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), will include artificial intelligence, data analytics and user experience design. The two organisations say these are some of the contemporary fields identified by the ICT sector as necessary skills for today's information technology graduates. .

The new degree course includes five majors: data science, cyber security, interaction design, networking and infrastructure, and software development. A non-specified pathway is also available.

According to WelTec and Whitireia it is "future-oriented to provide industry with the skills and knowledge needed for business growth and sustainability."

They say it will also include communication and interpersonal skills that enable graduates to interact effectively with others, and important workplace skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking feature in the academic programme.

WelTec and Whitireia's director academic, Dr Ruth Anderson, said: "Industry requires people who can think creatively, adapt to change, collaborate across teams and develop, test, refine and deploy a range of technologies."

Anderson said WelTec and Whitireia had drawn on its own expertise and that of current learners and industry including Corelogic NZ, Intergen, Nokia, Xero, ANZ Technology and PwC to develop the new degree.

"The success of the new Bachelor of Information Technology will rest on the ongoing partnership with industry and the knowledge, expertise, experience and commitment of our tutors," she said.

"It is the strength of this partnership that has enabled us to develop a programme which we consider will meet learner needs now and into the future."