Qual IT hires second round of graduates

New Zealand-based IT quality assurance company Qual IT has committed to taking in a second round of grad trainees as it seeks to home grow its IT employee base and address New Zealand’s ongoing tech skills shortage.

Eight new full-time employees have been hired in round two of the Graduate Program, joining the first intake of six graduates from August 2021.

Qual IT Head of Practice and Capability Jill Thorburn said the graduate program was designed to address workforce shortages exacerbated by the pandemic, noting that prior to the border closure more than 50% of new IT jobs in the nation were filled through immigration.

“IT is an area with exceptional employment outcomes, and we’re providing local talent with more opportunities to enter the industry,” she said.

“We offer our graduates all the benefits of full-time employment throughout the 15-week training program. The trainees aren’t all recent graduates, some have worked in other areas but decided they want to pursue a career in software testing.”

The retraining graduates are a former banker and retail business owner, a highly educed teacher and a retail employee.

Thorburn said through the program, the company aims to build more depth and longevity into New Zealand’s quality assurance industry by investing in local talent to meet the skills shortages facing the sector.