Mobile technology opening for ex-telecommunications staffers

2nd April 2013

Big opportunities in mobile technology for ex-telecommunications staffers

New Zealand is crying out for people who are trained in the latest mobile technologies and it’s the first place Telecom’s technical people should look for new opportunities.

That’s according to Antony Gardiner, a former telecommunications worker and now a senior mobile software developer in Hamilton.

Mr Gardiner says that two years ago, while he was working for a major telecommunications company in New Zealand, he saw the writing on the wall for his future prospects.

“I could see that the traditional telephone system was being overtaken by internet services like Skype and that I decided then to future-proof my career.”

Mr Gardiner decided to retrain in application development for the Apple-based mobile operating system, iOS. There were no courses available in New Zealand so he decided to travel to the United States to learn the skills he needed.

He is now a senior software developer for MEA Mobile, one of New Zealand’s most prolific mobile application development companies.

“I could see then there was a huge movement towards mobile applications and mobile technologies that was being spearheaded by Apple MacIntosh with the iPhone.”

In fact, he says, the growth has been so phenomenal that it has completely outstripped the number of people who are able to do the work.

Mr Gardiner is a tutor for the App School, New Zealand’s first and only app school teaching full iOS development, and urges those in traditional telecommunications work who are facing job cuts to think about retraining and up-skilling into mobile software technologies.

“Until now, there have been no formal courses available to teach people how to make and register apps for iOS yet there are huge opportunities in the iOS app development industry,” he says. “Our students will design, develop and commercialise their own apps and commercialise them on iTunes so they’ll be able to hit the ground running once they’ve finished.”

“The app economy is the biggest breakthrough in direct to consumer delivery the world has ever seen, and the industry can’t hire enough workers for the demand out there.”

“It’s still a booming sector in the information technology industry and I believe it is an area where New Zealand can become a significant international player.”

For more information on the App School visit www.appschool.co.nz, follow us on Twitter (@AppSchoolNZ), or contact soteria@meamobile.com.

ENDS

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