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8 — Times, Wednesday, February 2, 2022
POLICE
Ambulance station break-in still unsolved By CHRIS HARROWELL
P
olice are making a fresh appeal to the public for information in an effort to identify who broke into an east Auckland ambulance station four months ago. As the Times reported at the time, St John’s Howick ambulance station on Pakuranga Road was broken into overnight on September 24 last year while paramedics were attending emergency callouts. St John East Auckland territory manager Mark Deoki described the organisation as being “appalled” at the actions of the culprit or culprits, who he said smashed several doors in the building and broke into staff lockers and personal vehicles. “Cash, personal items and clothing, St John uniforms and a lockbox were taken,” Deoki said. He said the cost of the damage and theft was estimated to be thousands of dollars. “It is deplorable that anyone would do such a thing with complete disregard to the many people affected.
Police have so far not identified the people who burglarised the St John Ambulance station in Pakuranga. Times photo Wayne Martin
“It created an unnecessary and upsetting distraction to ambulance officers while they were working and attending patients in challenging emergency health situations.” Deoki encouraged people with information on the incident, or who saw suspicious activity near the Howick ambulance station late on the evening of September 24 or in the early hours of the following morning, to contact police. Police investigated the incident but are yet to arrest or charge any suspects. Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown is joining the calls for people who can help to solve
the crime to do the right thing and contact police. “If anyone has any information that could help police resolve this burglary, please contact the police,” he told the Times. “People who break into ambulance stations are absolute low-lifes. “They deserve to be held to account for their actions.” A police spokesperson says investigators carried out a number of enquiries into a burglary incident at the ambulance station in Pakuranga Road on September 25 last year. “This included forensic enquiries and enquiries into possible CCTV footage. “Unfortunately this did not provide us with any further lines of enquiry to follow. “There are currently no further lines of enquiry in relation to this matter, however if anyone has any information and has not come forward to police, we would encourage them to do so by phoning 105, quoting file number 210925/7985.” Alternatively, people can phone the free and anonymous Crimestoppers tip-off line on 0800 555 111.
Kai’s Clan CEO and founder Bruce Jackson with the company’s upcoming product KaiBot, aimed towards teachers and parents. Photo supplied
EDUCATION
Kai’s Clan recognised as top tech product By ZOE GARDEN A local company has won a prestigious education technology award. The EdTech Awards are described as the largest and most competitive recognition programme in all of education technology. It involves a number of varied categories to celebrate and recognise people in and around education for significant contributions in “transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere”. Pakuranga-based Kai’s Education’s product, Kai’s Clan, (Times, Dec 21) was one of 15 winners in District Administration (DA) and Future of Education Technology’s (FETC) Top Ed Tech Products of the Year contest, a prestigious award within the education sector in the USA. There were more than 130 submissions with the winners been chosen from a panel of experts. The contest spotlights the “most innovative new solutions on the market that are helping school leaders meet the everevolving education technology needs of their districts and schools”. Kai’s Clan encourages cross-curricular
and collaborative learning, digitally and physically. It was founded with the aim of merging these two worlds to become an interactive learning playground with the goal to nurture an interest for coding in children. The kit, Kai’s collaborative learning platform, teaches coding and robotics where students can create robot avatars and import them into Kai’s Clan. Then they can be viewed in AR/VR (augmented and virtual reality). Education manager Ronel Schodt says that Kai’s Education is very excited to be a winner of the Top EdTech product. “To receive such an honour and to stand with the likes of Lego Robotics shows that Kai’s Clan is a premium education resource for teachers,” Schodt says. “We cannot wait to see Kai’s Clan in every classroom, empowering students to be engaged in coding, AR/VR and learning how to use sensors in an easy way”. The collaborative aspect, DA wrote, of this tool makes it real-world learning that engages students. The winners of Product of the Year featured during the in-person FETC Conference recently in Orlando. Kai’s Education launched their latest robot, KaiBot, at the conference.
CAREERS
More than half of Gen Z considering a different career path in the wake of Covid-19 Global survey by INTO shows young people remain upbeat despite the pandemic as they explore new options and international education tops their list of priorities.
T
he Covid-19 pandemic has led more than half of Gen Z to consider a different career path, a global survey by INTO University Partnerships reveals. The research conducted by the leading international education organisation shows that since the onset of the pandemic 55 per cent of under 25s have actively considered new career options which never previously featured on their list. Also, half of Gen Z now want a career that offers better work-life balance. More than 1200 Gen Z students from 93 countries took part in the INTO survey, conducted in August 2021. This included China, India, Nigeria, Kenya, Japan, Australia and Brazil among others. Gen Z make up 30 per cent of the global population. CEO of INTO University Partnerships Olivia Streatfeild said the survey shows a strong trend among young people wanting to start their own business as a preferred career option.
A total of 45 per cent of students said they hope to one day become entrepreneurs and launch their own businesses. The majority also consider an international degree as the gateway to realising their career dreams in the new normal. “The Covid-19 pandemic has radically altered the attitudes and career aspirations of Gen Z. This change will come to define the world of higher education and work. It is absolutely critical that governments, universities and the industry are primed for this shift among young people to support a whole generation that is eager to learn and work differently,” said Streatfeild. The survey also shows that the catastrophic impact of Covid-19 on lives and economies has failed to dent the hopes and aspirations of Gen Z as they are more optimistic than ever about their future. An overwhelming 91 per cent of Gen Z students have a positive outlook on their future after a year and a
half disrupted by the pandemic – and they believe an international degree offers them the best chance to realise their dreams. “Young people are faced with the toughest challenge in a generation to forging their future as the world strives to emerge from the shadows of the pandemic. It is therefore heartening to see that Gen Z are unfazed by the catastrophe and determined to achieve their dreams. Excellent international education opportunities and innovative programmes that boost students’ career prospects will be pivotal in this recovery,” said Streatfeild. The survey shows studying abroad to be inextricably linked to career goals in the minds of Gen Z students. Acquiring knowledge and skills needed to succeed in life came out as the top reason to pursue an international degree, with 90 per cent of students surveyed agreeing that this motivated them to study abroad. Many stu-
dents – 84 per cent – also agree that training for a specific career is an important reason to go overseas for higher education. “The current generation of students are more outcome-oriented than their predecessors. They demand concrete returns on their investment in an international degree. It is on those of us in the international education sector to facilitate their success and work to ensure they get what they deserve from their studies abroad,” said Streatfeild.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SURVEY
➤ 55 per cent of Gen Z students worldwide report that their career aspirations have changed in light of the pandemic; 29 per cent indicate their aspirations have changed a little, and 26 per cent indicate they have changed a lot. ➤ 91 per cent of Gen Z students have a positive outlook on the
future despite the Covid-19 setback; 43 per cent report they feel optimistic and excited about their future, and 48 per cent indicate they feel hopeful but sometimes anxious. ➤ Indian Gen Z students are the most optimistic in the wake of Covid-19 - 94 per cent indicate they have a positive outlook on about their future. ➤ 88 per cent of Gen Z students have the goal of making it to the top of their profession one day. ➤ 90 per cent of Gen Z students believe an international degree will help them get the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life. ➤ 84 per cent of Gen Z students seek an international degree to train for a specific career. ➤ 83 per cent of Gen Z students agree that overseas study gives people a competitive advantage towards a career. ➤ 76 per cent of Gen Z students want to work overseas one day.