Better together: connecting students and industry
How do you catch the attention of a tech-savvy development team? With robots, of course! SFU’s Science Alive team and their newly minted robotic creations recently paid a visit to Appnovation, who helped fund the science camp’s Lego Mindstorm upgrade.
“Our staff had a ball with the robots,” says Appnovation marketing manager Isabel da Costa. “The volunteers showed us a thank-you video of the camps, with the kids doing fun experiments and building robots. It was really neat to see how our donation helped.”
Appnovation and Science Alive connected through the company’s senior business consultant Simon Mok, an SFU computing science alumnus and member of the Faculty’s External Advisory Council. “It immediately seemed like a great fit,” says Isabel. “It’s important for us to give back to community and we were really on board with Science Alive’s mandate to inspire kids through technology.”
This wasn’t the first time SFU students paid a visit Appnovation’s downtown Vancouver office. Keen to build a future talent pool and promote the local tech industry, the company hosted a focus group of TechConnect students and their parents. The group, mostly first and second year students, had the opportunity to ask questions to Appnovation’s developers, designers and project managers.
“We wanted to help students see what roles are out there and get an idea of which areas to focus on,” says Isabel. “There’s always a shortage of available talent in this industry, so it’s beneficial for students to stay ahead of the curve.”
In the fast-moving tech industry, Appnovation’s support can help students get a measure of the job climate and prepare for existing jobs. In turn, Appnovation has the opportunity to hear students’ perceptions of the industry.