When there’s a shortage of digital skills, and a lot of creativity crying out for a chance to shine, what can you do? The Microsoft Student Accelerator might be the answer – bringing keen Kiwi students together with employers to share new perspectives and grow digital capabilities and opportunities across every organisation. As digital construction firm asBuilt found out, the experience can be just as rewarding for Microsoft’s SaaS partners as it is for students.
Once a year, there’s a special kind of speed dating event. There’s the usual amount of racing pulses. Bright-eyed young people. Earnest introductions and talk about what that special someone looks like. Only instead of a romantic partner, the lucky participants are matched with a job – or even better, a willing new member of the team.
“One of the most common challenges our SaaS partners talk about is a lack of skilled workers. Meanwhile, graduates find it hard to get the right job because they lack the relevant experience. The Microsoft Student Accelerator (MSA) programme helps solve both problems by giving students the skills they need while they’re still studying, providing industry-relevant training and certifications via Microsoft Learn then matching them up with tech partners for practical experience,” says Kaye Harding, SaaS Partner Lead at Microsoft New Zealand.
“As a major organisation with a large network of partners we rely on to build our business, we see it as our responsibility to give back and help raise the tide for all tech companies in New Zealand, building a stronger future for the entire industry.”
This year, around 1,200 students have signed on for the MSA programme, the largest ever intake in its history. Tom de Wildt, Head of Development and Delivery at asBuilt, wants even more employers to join as well.
“I’m a firm believer in training up talent. Lots of our staff started fresh out of university, and having interns in our team is a way of continuing that tradition and building skills across the industry,” he says.
Chief executive David Burton agrees. “My background’s not software development, it’s construction, but when I trained we had work placements and you learned so much more from that practical touch. With the Microsoft Student Accelerator, we have the opportunity to pass on relevant new skills and what’s just as valuable, we get to hear different perspectives and views from a new generation.”
In fact, last year’s interns proved so valuable to asBuilt’s business that all three are still working with the company.
A match made in digital heaven
Students Carlo Carbonilla, David Wong and Shiyao Wang were partnered by Microsoft for that speed dating event in late 2020, having successfully completed the Microsoft training courses. Shiyao and David already knew each other from their classes at the University of Auckland, and to round out their team of three, Microsoft suggested they partner with Carlo, an Auckland University of Technology student.
Together they went along to meet a host of employers pitching exciting paid work opportunities for 10-12 weeks, during their university holidays. The businesses had just seven minutes to sell their projects to each team of students, after which everyone wrote down their favourites. Matchmaker Microsoft then found the best fit for each group.
“What attracted me to asBuilt was that they showed us a range of options we could choose to work on – it wasn’t just one single project,” says Shiyao.
Adds Carlo: “AsBuilt seemed interesting because it wasn’t just asking us to build a website, it was something really different.”
Model students
Something really different turned out to be working on asBuilt’s Vault, adding layers of additional information to 3D models of the asBuilt office to demonstrate the platform’s unique capabilities to customers.
People using the Model Viewer can walk through asBuilt’s Northcote headquarters and see plants, doors, walls and even what’s behind the walls in amazing detail, with real-time lighting, temperature and other aspects thanks to the data points created by the trio.
“I didn’t want to give set tasks. Instead, in the first couple of weeks I got them to test a lot of things and find out what they wanted to work on. It just so happened they all wanted to work on the same thing,” Tom says. “But not all MSA people are computer science students – they could be business majors, for example. We don’t hire them for specific roles, but for the experience they want to gain.”
This has proved to be a real winning formula for students and employers alike.
“The work we do at university and what we do in the workplace is so different. We haven’t done anything like this at uni, and it’s been so valuable. The soft skills in particular are so important to learn and many employers are looking for practical experience as well. That’s why I’d recommend MSA to anyone,” says Carlo.
Microsoft’s Kaye says in the past, the skills taught via the Microsoft Learn courses would be mostly technical, such as Azure, full stack development and machine learning, but these days they also include things like data and business analytics, which are highly sought after by employers.
“We also include lots of content on interviewing techniques, building a LinkedIn profile, and all the soft skills that are essential to today’s workplaces and boost employability,” she says. “We want to make the programme a win for businesses and a win for students, providing employment opportunities and also building skills that can be passed on through our entire partner community.”
Creating a community of advocates
After their intensive holiday experience, David, Shiyao and Carlo were delighted to be offered the opportunity to stay on at asBuilt, continuing to work on the next generation of the asBuilt Vault and enhance user experience and functionality for six to eight hours a week while they study.
“I lucked out getting to work at asBuilt. It’s not intimidating to ask for help – it’s just so chilled and our mentors have been so supportive,” Shiyao says.
Carlo has found the experience so positive, he’s coming back for another year as an MSA student, this time hoping to focus on AI.
As David Burton says: “Interns who’ve had a good experience are great advocates for your business. It just makes sense to be a part of this.”
Want more information on being a Microsoft Student Accelerator Programme partner? Visit our website here.