Information technology is now a huge part of everyone’s lives. Many businesses are constantly on the lookout for staff with the skills to secure and organise their computer networks.
Skilled IT professionals can help a business in a number of ways, from increasing security, finding new innovations and even creating new sources of revenue. As a result, information technology trainees are sought after professionals, able to learn to work with specific systems and infrastructures.
They can also be great assets when mitigating against disasters, which was what a group of recent award winners proved in Queensland’s Premier’s Awards for Open Data.
A six-person team of students created the Wiki Queensland Big Data system, designed to provide real time support for residents susceptible to natural disasters. The web application provides information on the damage and disruptions of adverse weather such as cyclones, and other risks such as floods and bushfires.
The ceremony on December 2 saw the team pick up two accolades for their programming efforts – the Best Use of Open Data and Microsoft StartUp Q awards.
IT big business in Queensland
The awards show the value of training and educating IT employees to become specialists in their area, which is certainly one of the benefits of traineeships in Queensland.
Premier Campbell Newman said as the world becomes more digitised, businesses are finding ways to use data to boost their revenues.
“Data is becoming the currency of our society and by making government data available to the public we will allow Queenslanders to develop innovative services and solutions,” he explained.
Mr Newman continued to say that both open and Big Data were growing technologies, and areas in which IT professionals can work to harness and utilise information for business purposes.
A recent study by Lateral Economics discovered open data is worth $25 billion a year to the Australian economy, a Queensland Government media release explained this month.
Queensland rewarding excellence
The six students were rewarded with $5,000 and the chance to help use their expertise on a new Open Data Institute of Queensland project to make their winning product commercially available.
“Open data is about creating awareness about the open access the public has to Queensland government data and helping people to understand that data can be valuable,” Mr Newman concluded.
With data only set to become a greater part of our working lives, IT-based traineeships will ensure organisations have the staff equipped with the knowledge and ability to make use of its value. This makes it a great time to hire a trainee or find a traineeship position in the very near future.
By Leanne de Toerkenczy, Public Relations Coordinator.
