Innovation roles at Ports of Auckland for Solve It team
11 January 2018
Students who participated in Solve It have been employed by Ports of Auckland to work on the ideas they came up with as part of the innovation programme.
Ports of Auckland has hired Solve It team members Julia Wang and Carl Velasco as permanent members of a new Innovation Project team.
Three others have been approached about intern roles at the Port, and a fourth is being sponsored by Ports of Auckland to complete his PhD thesis on innovation.
Solve It, run by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is a programme where students form teams to solve challenging business problems from New Zealand businesses and organisations.
Julia, who is studying towards a commerce and engineering conjoint degree and Carl, also a BCom/BE graduate, are excited to be working to continue to develop the ideas generated during Solve It and make them a reality.
“Our experience so far has been a delight. Everyone around us is very helpful and hard-working.”
The first project for Julia and Carl is to organise an exhibition showcasing the ideas developed by all the Ports of Auckland Solve It teams at Ports of Auckland’s SeePort festival in January 2018.
“The Solve It programme was the gateway that allowed us to prove ourselves for this opportunity. Solve It was well organised and gave great mentorship to us. The two-week programme was very intense and very much worth the effort.”
Ports of Auckland CEO Tony Gibson speaks enthusiastically about the value of being a Solve It sponsor.
“We know we need to explore the impact of disruptive technologies so we can build a sustainable port that enhances social, environmental and commercial outcomes. By partnering with the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, we can learn so much from the talented young people who are the future leaders of New Zealand.”
Julia and Carl encourage other students to take the opportunity to participate in Solve It, they say “it is perfect for students wanting to learn about real-life business, gain problem-solving skills, teamwork skills, and get easily-accessible networking opportunities with reputable NZ companies.”