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Free Digital Skills Summer Camp – Girls aged 15-19

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Belfast I.T Girls – Digital Skills Summer Camp

What will you do?

  • Develop your creative, social and business skills
  • Learn how to develop Games
  • Develop websites using HTML5 & CSS3
  • Create digital content
  • Meet, chat and learn from females in the IT & Digital industries
  • …and more!
This 1 week programme is FREE and open to girls aged 15-19

If you are interested you’ll need to book a ticket below to attend. Should there be no tickets available please add yourself to the waiting list and you will be contacted if a place frees up.

Mon 6th August - Friday 10th August 2018
Belfast Metropolitan College
Titanic Quarter Campus
9.30am - 4.30pm

Why do people stay in Jobs they don’t like?

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Have you ever heard someone complain about their job, and yet didn’t take any action toward changing the situation? They go on and on about how they are mistreated, or undervalued, or underpaid, or bored, or “burned out,” or don’t like the people they work with, and yet day after day continue to show up, continue to endure, and continue to collect their steady salary.

 

The truth is, that’s the reason most people stay, the pay. They would rather suffer for something guaranteed than take ownership of their future. Do you know some like that, or is that someone YOU?

 

 

9 Reasons Why People Stay In Jobs They Don’t Like. 

 

1. Because risk terrifies them. It’s a risk to go somewhere else, “What if it’s even worse?” It’s a risk to try something new. It’s a risk to leave wherever you are and go somewhere else.

 

2. Because learning something new is hard. It’s so sad and yet so true. Most people don’t leave their jobs simply because the thought of having to learn a new process, a new skill set, a new anything is terrifying and exhausting to them.

 

3. Because they love “the golden handcuffs.” One of the greatest double-edged swords of high paying businesses is what’s called “living with golden handcuffs.” Your salary is so good, your benefits are so good, your retirement plan is so good, everything is so good that you’re willing to sit in a cubicle hating your life for 8 hours a day simply because, on paper, you’re “living the life.” This is so common, we only get one life, please don’t waste it.

 

4. Because they secretly love to complain. Another sad truth, but some people love to be miserable. They find enjoyment in showing up to work and uttering the phrase, “I hate Mondays.” They have learned to love their misery–and as much as they talk about leaving, they never will.

 

5. Because it would disappoint their parents. Some of the most talented people end up working jobs they despise simply because they don’t want to disappoint their parents. Or their family. Or their friends. Or anyone else. So, who are you living for, then? Them?

 

6. Because they’ve overextended themselves. It’s amazing how much people prioritise having “things” before they have established the lifestyle they want. They get a job they don’t love, but pays pretty well, and before they know it they’ve got an expensive car payment, high rent/mortgage, and an expensive lifestyle from which they can’t escape. They want to do something else, but by now they’ve accumulated too much overhead. And a shift in lifestyle is unthinkable to them.

 

7. Because they like their “title.” These people stay with their undesirable job simply because of the title they have. They would rather be the Vice President of Boring than be seen as someone who is “trying to make their dreams happen.” Because that road is harder, and isn’t about titles at all, and for a lot of people, that’s too much for their ego to bear.

 

8. Because they have responsibilities now. They have a Wife/Husband, kids, dogs, a mortgage, college funds to save for, etc. By now in their career, they can’t make the move to something else. They’ve crossed the threshold and have decided, “You know what, this is where I am, and that’s that.” They’re comfortable, and so they stay.

 

9. Because they fear being wrong. Or worse, they fear rejection. They care a lot about what people think of them, and the thought of trying to do something unconventional or different they enjoy, and failing, is what keeps them from ever trying in the first place.

 

Imagine breaking free of the Golden Handcuffs and living a life you deserve. What if… you had an ally by your side to ensure you were getting the best possible support & advice to live the life you have always wanted? What if… you were able to get the best industry advice on your career options and local jobs that were suitable to your skill set? What if… getting in contact with Graffiti Recruitment could open some doors to careers that would only improve your lifestyle?

 

JUST IMAGINE… Let Make IT A Reality, Contact us now for confidential advice. 

 

 

Please feel free to share your success stories below, of how you were able to pursuing a career you actually like and inspire others to live a life of fun & fulfilment. 

Tech Education Network – Launch

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The Tech Education Network (TEN) exists to connect the tech community with our wider society, equipping children and adults with information, practical resources and training through its networks, knowledge sharing and programme delivery.

We are a team of techies who work within the tech community and are directly linked with industry. We want to share our knowledge with you, on how we can help raise awareness of technical skills & support within various groups and age ranges in our community. We are inviting you to come along and join us to find out what T.E.N can do for You, Your Business, School, Youth Club or Outreach Group.

Why attend?

What we offer as a group is:
• Access to resources and people who can help you make tech relevant to your audience.
• Bespoke tailored programs specific to group needs.
• Direct access for educators to the tech industry professionals 
• Tackling diversity and making career choices more relevant to student’s actual interests
• Alleviate unemployment, bridge skills shortage to help the industry meet its resource targets.

One of the things we’re excited to tell you about is a new outreach program. A small team have been working hard in the background to create a pilot program to be rolled out to a focused group by the end of July. The pilot is a 6-week course in Digital Marketing and Design, aimed at NEETS.

We want to create more teams of passionate, committed people who want to reach out and help people learn about a wide range of technologies.

We look forward to seeing you on the 28th June and please feel free to share this event with your own colleagues, schools, clubs, groups and peers!

Please RSVP via the Eventbrite link as this will help us as a non-profit to judge refreshments.

 

 

8 Skills That Will Help You Get A Job In Big Data Or Data Analytics

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8 skills that will help you a get a Job in Big Data

The secret is out, getting a Job in Big data is the newest hot topic, as Big Data is now seen as the ‘New Gold’! The mad rush is on to leverage big data analytic tools and techniques for competitive advantage. If you’re on the hunt for a new Job in big data, here are 8 highly sought after skills, that will help you a get that Job.

1. Apache Hadoop

Sure, it’s entering its second decade now, but there’s no denying that Hadoop had a monstrous time and is positioned for an even bigger year as test clusters are moved into production and software vendors increasingly target the distributed storage and processing architecture.The raise of Apache Hadoop created lots of new IT jobs in big data as the  platform is powerful, Hadoop can be a fussy beast and requires care and feeding by proficient technicians. Those who know there way around the core components of the Hadoop stack–such as HDFS, MapReduce, Flume, Oozie, Hive, Pig, HBase, and YARN–will be in high demand, and alternatively this will create lots of new IT jobs.

2. Apache Spark

If Hadoop is a known quantity in the big data world, then Spark is a black horse candidate that has the raw potential to eclipse its elephantine cousin. The rapid rise of the in-memory stack is being proffered as a faster and simpler alternative to MapReduce-style analytics, either within a Hadoop framework or outside it. Best positioned as one of the components in a big data pipeline, Spark still requires technical expertise to program and run, thereby providing IT job opportunities for those in the know.

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Source: Dice Tech Salary Survey

On the operational side of the big data house, distributed, scale-out NoSQL databases like MongoDBand Couchbase are taking over IT jobs previously handled by monolithic SQL databases like Oracle and IBM DB2. On the Web and with mobile apps, NoSQL databases are often the source of data crunched in Hadoop, as well as the destination for application changes put in place after insight is gleaned from Hadoop. In the world of big data, Hadoop and NoSQL occupy opposite sides of a virtuous cycle.

3. Machine Learning and Data Mining

People in IT jobs have been mining for data as long as they’ve been collecting it. But in today’s big data world, data mining has reached a whole new level. One of the hottest IT Jobs in big data last year is machine learning, which is poised for a breakout year. Big data pros who can harness machine learning technology to build and train predictive analytic apps such as classification, recommendation, and personalization systems are in super high demand, and can command top dollar in the IT job market.

4. Statistical and Quantitative Analysis

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This is what big data is all about. If you have a background in quantitative reasoning and a degree in a field like mathematics or statistics, you’re already halfway there. Add in expertise with a statistical tool like R, SAS, Matlab, SPSS, or Stata, and you’ve got this category locked down. Thanks to the big data boom, companies in all sorts of industries across the country are in need of ‘geeks’ with quantitative backgrounds and has created a boom in Big Data jobs.

5. SQL

The data-centric language is more than 40 years old, but the old grandpa still has a lot of life yet in today’s big data age. While it won’t be used with all big data challenges (see: NoSQL above), the simplify of Structured Query Language makes it a no-brainer for many of them. And thanks to initiatives like Cloudera‘s Impala, SQL is seeing new life as the lingua franca for the next-generation of Hadoop-scale data warehouses and IT Jobs.

6. Data Visualization

Big data can be tough to comprehend, but in some circumstances there’s no replacement for actually getting your eyeballs onto data. You can do multivariate or logistic regression analysis on your data until the cows come home, but sometimes exploring just a sample of your data in a tool like Tableau or Qlikview can tell you the shape of your data, and even reveal hidden details that change how you proceed. And if you want a job as a  data analyst, being well-versed in one or more visualization tools is practically a requirement.

7. General Purpose Programming Languages

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Having experience programming applications in general-purpose languages like Java, C, Python, or Scala could give you the edge over other candidates when applying for big data or any similar IT Job. According to Wanted Analytics, there was a 337 percent increase in the number of IT  job postings for “computer programmers” that required background in data analytics. Those who are comfortable at the intersection of traditional app development  and emerging analytics will be able to write their own tickets and move freely between end-user companies and big data startups.

8. Creativity and Problem Solving

No matter how many advanced analytic tools and techniques you have on your belt, nothing can replace the ability to think your way through a situation. The implements of big data will inevitably evolve and new technologies will replace the ones listed here. But if you’re equipped with a natural desire to know and a bulldog-like determination to find solutions, then you’ll always have Big Data or Data Analytics job offers waiting for you.

For more jobs in Big Data or Data Analytics please check out some of our latest jobs here. 

 

Top 6 IT Hiring Trends For 2018

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Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift.

The good times for tech workers will continue through the next year, which found that today’s tech talent gap will continue to put pressure on businesses in 2018 to the benefit of those they are looking to hire.

A recent survey with over 8000 technology professionals completed by Robert Half gave us an interesting insight into the IT Job World. We found that the fight for talent has companies offering tech workers generous perks, incentives and competitive salaries — and that tech work itself has become a more satisfying & overall a less stressful Job.

Following are Six of the biggest trends in IT hiring and how it will impact both employers and employees in the year ahead.

1.     The Skills Gap still remains

The talent shortage for tech workers is “no longer just an inconvenience for any employers — it’s quickly becoming a significant business problem,” And when companies do find tech talent, they often can’t afford it, as they are being out priced by the larger corporations.

According to a recent survey with smaller business owners 44 percent of Hiring Manager or Business Owners say they miss out on top talent because candidates are seeking higher salaries than they’re able to offer. As a result, there’s been an increase in companies hiring less experienced workers who are “motivated to learn new skills quickly.”

2.     Interview Process is too slow

To get the best talent during a shortage, businesses need to speed up the hiring process. This study found that, while it’s understandable business want to be thorough, many companies are dragging out the hiring process. That’s a problem because around two-thirds of the non-executive technology professionals surveyed said they would “lose interest in a job if there was no follow-up within a week of an interview.”

The survey found that hiring managers are somewhat aware of this problem, as 41 percent said they are unhappy with the length of their hiring processes. On average, the survey found it takes 4.5 weeks to fill a staff-level role. Businesses need to establish a smooth hiring process so that they can quickly hire and onboard qualified talent.

3.     Automation is shifting skills

Automation isn’t poised to kill jobs just yet. At least for now, it’s simply changing the skills that are important to businesses. The finance industry is already experiencing a skills shift thanks to automation. Of those surveyed, 56 percent of CFOs said they expect automation to bring increased efficiency to finance and 43 percent also envision improved decision making.

While CFOs are optimistic about automation they also expect it to shift their priorities and primary skillsets. By 2020, CFOs expect “keeping pace with changing technology” as a top priority, followed by managing big data, compliance and maintaining finance reporting standards.

4.     Tech demand goes vertical

Tech is a growing need in every industry, but the survey found that certain vertical industries are experiencing an acute need for tech workers. Healthcare, financial and manufacturing professionals cited a growing demand for tech talent in their respective industries.

In healthcare, there’s a need for modernisation and innovation to better deliver patient care. Security and data professionals are in demand in the financial services industry as security becomes a top priority. Automation is impacting the manufacturing industry, where businesses are looking for innovative IT pros to help adapt.

Graffiti Recruitment predicts the latest developments in cloud, open source, mobile, big data and security are expected be the most in demand for 2018. And even if you aren’t a pro in one of these specialties, the survey found that as businesses are more pressed for talent, management is more willing to hire less technically qualified candidates who show potential and demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

5.     Satisfaction is up, stress is down

The technology industry currently ranks 6th for on-the-job happiness and it ranks first for the lowest levels of on-the-job stress. ( I don’t think this applies to IT Recruitment though). Some of that satisfaction might come from the compensation and perks that companies use to lure talent.

Only 19 percent of companies said they didn’t offer bonuses and only 17 percent said they based salary increases on length of service. For 72 percent of businesses, raises are merit-based, while 65 percent said that compensation is based of organisation or individual performance. These incentives help motivate workers and keep them satisfied on the job.

6.     Popular perks of the Job

To attract the best talent in a competitive market, companies have turned to “perks,” additional benefits outside the standard offerings you’d find at most companies. These include flexible work schedules (62%), regular social events (39%), remote work opportunities (34%), on-site or free gym membership (25%), a compressed schedule (17%) and free food (13%). (Chocolate is always a perk here at Graffiti )

To keep talent motivated, companies also offer incentives like awards for individual and team achievements (37%), profit sharing (20%), retention bonuses (18%), stock options (18%) and deferred compensation (16%).

 

Demand for tech talent will continue to outpace supply in the year ahead, while the mix of skills necessary to remain relevant in IT will undergo a significant shift. To stay up to date with the latest Hiring and Tech updates make sure to sign up to our Monthly Industry Updates. 

Boost for Shropshire Jobs as £11.2m investment is secured!

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Boost for Shropshire Jobs as £11.2m investment is secured!

Boost for thousands more homes and businesses as Connecting Shropshire announces £11.2m contract

Connecting Shropshire has announced that Airband Community Internet Ltd will be the delivery partner for the next phase of Shropshire Council’s superfast broadband programme.

Since 2002, Airband has been providing high-speed wireless broadband access to rural areas. The Worcester-based company will be responsible for delivering superfast broadband to over 14,000 homes and businesses in the Shropshire Council area over the next three years.

Airband will be deploying wireless broadband, which works by sending a signal from a transmitter on a mast, to a receiver attached to the property. A cable is then run into the building allowing the end-user to access the internet in the same way as any other broadband connection.

Councillor Nic Laurens, Shropshire Council cabinet member with responsibility for broadband, said: “I am delighted that we have secured a technology partner that can deliver superfast broadband to some of the most rural parts of the county. When this contract is completed, we expect 98% of premises in the Council area to have access to superfast broadband. This means that even more people living, working and visiting Shropshire will be able to benefit from access to faster internet connection speeds, enhancing their quality of life. The Connecting Shropshire programme runs till 2020 and will continue to work towards providing superfast broadband to all premises without access to it and we remain confident in being able to achieve this aspiration.”

Graham Wynn OBE, Chairman of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) said: “Slow internet speeds are a significant barrier to business growth, which is why we secured just over £5m in our Growth Deal with Government to help us address the issue working with our partner, Shropshire Council. As well as connecting up thousands of businesses with superfast broadband, this investment is also expected to boost our regional economy by around £220m.”

Redmond Peel, Managing Director of Airband, commented: “We are delighted to have won the contract to deploy our fixed wireless network in Shropshire. Knowing how essential high-speed broadband is, we are looking forward to working with local residents and businesses to provide fast and reliable internet connections.”

“Our experience of building masts to deploy wireless broadband services in the Midlands, Wales, Dartmoor and Exmoor has given us extensive insight into dealing with the geographical challenges that we will come across in Shropshire. Our solution uses state-of-the-art radio technology, ensuring high-speed connections where fibre broadband is not available. Using wireless overcomes many of the speed and reliability issues that are experienced with long copper cable lengths, meaning that many who have long suffered from poor broadband due to their locality will soon be able to access speeds comparable to those of their urban counterparts.”

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why is this a good outcome for Shropshire?

A. An extra 14,170 premises will get a superfast broadband connection from this contract. This is 88% of gap areas we included in the procurement.

Q. What about the gaps. When will you resolve these?

A. We have a balance of funding and will look at seeking a solution to provide superfast broadband for the remaining gap areas now this procurement is complete. We remain confident that we can provide a superfast solution to all our premises by 2020.

Q. Why have you decided to award the contract to Airband?

A. A primary requirement for the Council was to procure a solution that provided inclusive coverage in our most rural areas. Airband have demonstrated that they have a technical solution for the Shropshire geography, which will provide the best coverage outcome within the budget that was available.

Q. When will the contract start?

A. Immediately from July. Some sites can be enabled relatively quickly with 7,000 being within reach of a connection by the end of winter 2017.

Q. When will the Airband contract finish?

A. Winter 2019/Spring 2020

Q. Why’s it taken so long to conclude the procurement, which was launched back in November?

A. Spending public money (State Aid) on telecommunication solutions is a complicated procedure. As a result a number of assurances and processes have had to be undertaken by ourselves and partners to meet strict EU legislation. The verification and evaluation of the bids needed to be rigorous to ensure the Council made the right choice and was not open to challenge.

Q. How much is the Airband contract worth and how much is Airband contributing?

A. The contract is valued £11.2m. Airband are contributing £1.4m capital. In addition Airband are contributing £19m operational expenditure.

Q. How much money has Shropshire Council committed to the Airband contract?

A. Shropshire – £2.24m

Q. Where has the other funding come from?

A. Broadband Delivery UK and Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
BDUK – £5.29m          LEP – £2.27m

Q. Is wireless an inferior technology to a fibre optic (wired) solution?

A. Wireless technologies have continued to evolve and now provide the same broadband speed capabilities as a fibre optic solution with the same resilience. The technology has been approved as a compliant technology.

Q. How will you mitigate the adverse visual impact of masts on the Shropshire countryside?

A. Airband has recently completed deployment of a new wireless network across the National Parks of Exmoor and Dartmoor. They have excellent experience of working with stakeholders with interests in sensitive landscapes. 

Connecting Shropshire will work closely with Airband, Shropshire Council’s planning department and other key stakeholders to ensure this contract is deployed to the benefit of all our communities. Mitigations of visual impacts include: re-using existing infrastructure, locating below the skyline, planting, painting etc.

Q. How high will the masts be and where will they be?

A. Existing commercial masts and buildings will be used wherever possible. Some new masts will need to be built. In many cases, new masts will resemble telegraph poles. Airband will work within the Planning guidance process which has purposely been relaxed by the Government to encourage the roll-out of Telecommunications equipment to address the frustrations of communities. Where required, full consultation processes will be undertaken and in all cases we will work with communities to ensure information is shared prior to construction.

Q. Is wireless broadband more expensive for customers than fibre broadband?

A. Generally speaking, similar wireless and fibre packages have comparable costs.

Q. Is there a choice of internet service providers off the Airband network?

A. Yes, Airband build the infrastructure and provide a service to the customer, but they also wholesale their network out to other Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Q. Am I in plan to benefit?

A. For an interactive map with a view of the planned/current NGA coverage in the Shropshire Council area up to 2020, go to: https://shropshire.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=ddc8d72666934ca4ab4f938050be4ee4. 

Please be aware that the map is indicative and actual coverage may change depending on where the infrastructure is located. NGA infrastructure is capable of delivering 30mbps. To check availability, go to the Airband website and enter your postcode: https://home.airband.co.uk/coverage/. You will then be able to register your interest in the project and be kept up to date on progress.

Q. When will I get access?

A. The build is split into phases, with phase 1 due for completion at the end of winter 2017. Further information will be added to the Connecting Shropshire website as the first phase progresses.

Q. How does the system work?

A. Airband technology relies on ‘Line of Sight’, which means that the receiver on your property needs to have a clear view of one of the Airband transmitters. In the design and planning phase of the project, Airband use advanced software to map each property and establish where a connection can be achieved, without the need to complete an onsite survey for each property.

Q. What does the Airband equipment look like?

A. The receiver that will be installed to your property is a small, lightweight piece of equipment – about the size of a 2-pint milk carton. Where your property is a bit further away from our transmitter, the receiver will have a round, mini dish-like attachment.

Q. Will it cost more?

A. There will be a number of different providers and monthly packages available depending on the speed you require. 

 

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