The Aotearoa tech community knows the importance of increasing diversity and addressing the digital divide for Māori and Pacific peoples. But when skilling is expensive, or more traditional careers like nursing or law are valued above technology, or teaching and content often don’t reflect the lives or cultures of the people they’re training, how do you address that? That was the question that inspired partners TupuToa and Microsoft to design and deliver Hikohiko Te Uira (A Digital Spark for Your Future), a successful new programme that’s already supporting people to build skills and confidence for work and in life.
In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution ruling that access to the internet was a human right. Leaders noted that technological skills are a critical component to socio-economic wellbeing, from access to employment and essential services to transacting and communicating with the wider world.
While New Zealand’s digital accessibility is comparatively higher than many other countries, skilling has not kept pace. The 2021 Digital Skills Aotearoa Report revealed the number of students enrolled in and passing digital technology courses was actually declining. Meanwhile, workers are not receiving ongoing training to prepare them for newer technologies such as cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial intelligence (AI). A survey of New Zealand women conducted by Microsoft and StickyBeak in October 2021 found that 90% were not receiving any training in digital skills.
The most pressing issue is the lack of diversity in digital technology roles. Only 4% of the IT workforce is Māori and only 2.8% Pacific peoples, according to the Digital Skills Aotearoa 2021 report. While concerns have been expressed about this disparity for some time, the impact of this digital divide gained greater visibility during the Covid lockdowns. These created worsening job security in sectors with a high representation of Māori and Pacific peoples, like hospitality and construction, leading to reduced household incomes even as digital roles increased.
While Microsoft and TupuToa, a social enterprise focussed on growing Māori and Pacific leaders for a greater Aotearoa, had partnered previously on an internship initiative for tertiary students, they decided it was time to get more ambitious. TupuToa saw a huge opportunity to not only fill tech roles, but to equip more Māori and Pacific peoples with the confidence and digital skills to thrive in a post-Covid world.
“Tech encompasses all aspects of our lives today – at home, at work, everywhere we go. Not having full access to this technology and the skills to embrace it, means some of our people are left behind. We wanted to change that, so our people could thrive,” says Anne Fitisemanu, Chief Executive of TupuToa.
TupuToa and Microsoft saw a perfect opportunity to create a brand-new pathway to employment for Māori and Pasifika communities.
They embarked on co-designing a digital upskilling initiative, HikoHiko Te Uira (A Digital Spark for Your Future), to reach more people and provide the skills most sought after by employers. That meant bringing together the right partners.
Lighting the spark for success
“Through our internship programme, we saw demand for tech-based roles like never before. This led to a real gap in the market for a hands-on training programme that not only upskilled Māori and Pacific peoples, but did so in a way that addressed typical training issues from the beginning. One of the key issues has been the lack of a culturally inclusive learning environment, so we knew that creating this would help us build a new pipeline of talent from the ground up,” says Anne Fitisemanu, TupuToa Chief Executive.
“We needed to create something whānau-focussed in nature, to address people’s real-life, real-time needs at different ages and a range of work situations – NEETs (those not in education, employment or training), part time employed, full time employed and unemployed. And something that didn’t take as long as three years to complete.”
“But we also knew we needed to bring in the right partners to complement the work of TupuToa. Microsoft introduced Auldhouse, one of it’s leading tech training partners to provide the technical training skills and Tupu Toa brough on Zeducation who have strong track record of team leadership programs designed around the communities they serve. This was the perfect mix of partners and strengths to ensure the participants were given exactly the skills they needed yet reflected our cultures. ”
Together, the partners collaborated with TupuToa on a free programme that would give participants the technical skills they needed, while at the same time demystifying technology, and doing all this a culturally responsive manner where educational elements reflected Māori and Pacific Island cultures. This led to tauira (students) engaging more than they would have in a traditional classroom learning.
LinkedIn research found the most sought-after digital skills in Aotearoa were cloud computing, data analytics and Microsoft programs such as the Microsoft 365 suite. So, HikoHiko was designed to match training to these skills, allowing participants to achieve Microsoft credentials while also developing soft skills that build on their self-confidence and assertiveness to support them in their careers.
The first “track”, Digital Skills Essentials, gave participants a two-day crash course on the essentials, building confidence around each of the key Microsoft 365 apps such as Excel, Outlook, Word and Powerpoint as well as Microsoft Teams and email writing. The second, Cloud Computing, aimed at building confidence and knowledge around OneDrive, Azure, Power BI, with a deeper dive into Microsoft 365 and cloud security to hone in on tools that participants would use in the workplace. The final track was Data Analytics. All courses were designed to apply to as many career paths as possible, opening up a host of new employment opportunities both within and outside the tech world.
However, getting the elements right was just the first step. Getting people to sign up was equally crucial.
Using its vast knowledge of local communities, TupuToa developed a marketing strategy to attract participants through key events like ASB Polyfest, its partner networks and social media, tapping into whānau connections that spread the news through word of mouth.
“We knew we needed something other than mainstream marketing strategies, which often fail to reach Māori and Pacific peoples. It was important that the messaging and delivery was articulated in a way that would resonate with people, and be delivered by people that potential participants could relate to and trust.
“You can’t be what you can’t see. And so, one of our key strategies was leveraging our alumni, who have successfully completed an internship and transitioned into a graduate role,” says Anne Fitisemanu.
The pilot programme got underway in 2021. Nearly 100 keen participants from different walks of life attended courses at Auldhouse and Zeducation. Each was given the opportunity to upskill for existing roles or with an eye on new ones, as well as help to develop a LinkedIn profile and CV and earn Microsoft skill badges for each new skill learnt.
Speaking up, and looking higher
Already, the first graduates are using the skills they’ve learned through Hiko to transform their lives. Some are now working towards roles in management, aspiring to do more than work ‘on the tools’ in their jobs. Others are using digital skills to support their whānau (families) and church groups, landing permanent roles, or simply gaining the confidence to do more, whether it be launching new careers or continuing their education.
“We know our communities are humble in the workplace and sometimes overlooked. However, it often just takes one person to listen to their personal story and have that wrap-around support for them to succeed. We were thrilled to hear feedback that the programme helped participants recognise the importance of speaking up and acknowledging their achievements, as this is crucial to getting more opportunities to succeed,” says Anne.
Many have credited the course’s success to the culturally inclusive way in which it was taught. Everything from the learning environment to the tutors and language in which skills were taught in contributed to the trust and willingness participants had to engage and retain information. Feedback was that having tutors from the same culture, including Tongan/Samoan Zeducation founders Kalolo and Pasitaua Haufono, really helped with relatability.
Kalolo says they also refined the process to enhance the experience as they went along, including adding more group discussion, amending the length of courses and – thanks to lockdown – shifting some engagement online.
“We realised that Māori and Pacific people work best kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) but at the same time we can’t just sit on that seat. We can’t wait for the new normal. In a way it was a caveat when we went into lockdown to really push it. It shows you can build whanaungatanga (kinship) online, start and end with karakia (prayer). We talk about stories and whakatauki (proverbs). We go into a ‘zui’ and everyone says where they are from. It is a weird way of cultural competency, but it works,” he says.
While all participants were delighted to build confidence using Microsoft applications, learning tips and tricks for functions they never knew existed, feedback shows the course’s impact has gone far further.
Participant Aylene says: “I was at the point of walking away from education, completely ready to not be in a classroom, and I was struggling to see my value. Those young people [on the course] almost put me up on a pedestal and made me feel really good about myself. You can’t buy that for money.”
A classmate writes: “The tutors were totally awesome…they made me understand more skills that I can learn in Microsoft 365 and also that I can learn to be more confident and assertive in my role. I appreciate the opportunity and would like to thank you. God bless.”
In fact, others are now keen to participate too.
Empowering others to carry the torch
Following the success of the HikoHiko pilot, new partners Waikato Tainui Iwi and the Department of Corrections are set to join in 2022, providing new opportunities for iwi members and those in the justice system who need a hand to find a different path.
Cecilia Lynch, Philanthropies Lead at Microsoft New Zealand, says the true measure of success won’t just be employment.
“We are thrilled about the success of the program. However we know that for Hiko to be successful, it can’t just focus on skills for jobs and employability, it also needs to support livelihoods. We want to ensure we empower people to enhance their own livelihood in a self-determined way.” she says.
There is a shared desire to really scale up and build on the programme’s success, to inspire and upskill thousands of Māori and Pacific peoples in Aotearoa. However, training programmes take a lot of resources, so the new emphasis will be on empowering other training providers and community organisations to take the lead and tailor the courses for their communities’ needs.
“TupuToa is exploring a ‘train the trainer’ model so that te reo speakers can deliver the programme themselves, which will be critical to scalability and help us deliver to more people at their place, in locations closer to where the key demographic live. We’re also working to bring even more partners on board and leverage our relationships with tertiary institutions, so we can reach as many people as possible – even enable them to replicate the Hiko model overseas in future. The sky is the limit,” says Anne Fitisemanu.