Futureintech Ambassadors

Futureintech's Regional Facilitators connect industry Ambassadors with teachers & students:

Futureintech has full-time Facilitators in North, Central and South Auckland, Central North Island, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, and a part-time facilitator in Napier, engaging industry support and working with teachers, careers advisors, students and their caregivers.

The role of Futureintech Facilitator is to:

• Connect students with real-life examples of work and job specific roles that rely on the knowledge and skills acquired through school curriculum areas.
• Enable students to interact with successful role models in engineering, science and technology.
• Increase the numbers of young New Zealanders taking up careers in science and technology, which in turn raises the technical capacity of the New Zealand population. 

Robbie Blakelock, Acoustics Consultant from Marshall Day Acoustics

On Thursday 28th March, Burnside High School hosted Robbie Blakelock one of the local ambassadors from Futureintech.

Robbie Blakelock  is an Acoustics Consultant from Marshall Day Acoustics. He is a mechanical engineer, working in acoustics and he plays in the band ‘Satellite’. Technology students from Burnside and music students from Riccarton High School networked with Robbie through the GCSN’s High Definition Video Conference Bridge from their respective schools.

Robbie covered the following topics of interest:

• his career path
• what Mechanical Engineering is
• what Acoustics is
• his experience with Marshall Day Acoustics, working with clients from an engineering acoustics viewpoint
• environmental project – brief/scope of work, how it begins, key issues, concept design, design process (key outcomes: detailed model, specifications; key issues: competing demands, cost, clear communication), what we do, commissioning

Students participated by posed interesting and articulate questions.

   watch the VC recorded session 

Host: John Creighton, Burnside High School

VC Co-ordination: Margot McKeegan, Project Leader for E-Learning, Greater Christchurch School Network

Guests: Catherine Smith, Futureintech Facilitator Christchurch; Geoff Allen, NEN Advisor, Greater Christchurch School Network; Lorrae Ward, NEN Trial Evaluation Team, Ministry of Education

Anna Searle, Food Technologist from Cookie Time Ltd

A successful student workshop was help on Tuesday 19th June. Villa Maria High School hosted Anna Searle one of the local ambassadors from Futureintech. Anna Searle is a Food Technologist from Cookie Time Ltd.  Chemistry students from Villa Maria, Marian College and Christchurch Girls High School networked with Anna through the GCSN’s High Definition Video Conference Bridge from their respective schools.

“There’s such a wide range of opportunities in the food industry that being a food technologist can suit lots of different types of people,” she says. “It can be a very creative job or you can find a role which is very specific about what you need to do.”

“I’m working on a top secret project at the moment, which is really exciting. I’m creating a new product, and I’m managing the whole process.”

Anna covered the following topics of interest:

• Why food technology?
• Educational pathways
• Present experience
• Future Opportunities
• Why is food technology a great choice

    watch the VC recorded session 

Host:  Wendy Palmer, Villa Maria High School

Connected Schools:  Vivienne Straight, Marian College; Kathryn Coates, Christchurch Girls High School

VC Co-ordination: Margot McKeegan, Project Leader for E-Learning, Greater Christchurch School Network

Guests: Catherine Smith, Futureintech Facilitator Christchurch

Gillian Chandler, Senior Forensic Technician from ESR

On Tuesday 21th August, Cashmere High School hosted Gillian Chandler one of the local ambassadors from Futureintech.

Gillian Chandler and Lauren Moriarty are Senior Forensic Technicians from ESR. Unfortunately Lauren Moriarty could not attend on the day due to sickness. Students in year 10 – 13 from Cashmere High School, Mairehau High School, Rangi Ruru Girls’ Schools, Riccarton High School,  Burnside High School expanded their understanding of Forensic Science with Gillian through the GCSN’s High Definition Video Conference Bridge from their respective schools.

Gillian covered the following topics of interest:

• What is Forensic Science?
• Who do we work for
• How did I get there?
• What is a crime scene?
• Scene work
• Other Forensic teams at ESR
• Biological samples – What is DNA?
• Other cool stuff – places I’ve been
• What courses should I take to become a forensic scientist?

Host:  Cashmere High School

Connected Schools:  Mairehau High School, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School, Riccarton High School, Burnside High School

VC Co-ordination: Margot McKeegan, Project Leader for E-Learning, Greater Christchurch School Network

Guests: Catherine Smith, Futureintech Facilitator Christchurch