L-R: University of Waikato Master of Information Technology students Sameet, Sucharitha Biradavolu and Sam He.
Three University of Waikato students have put their classroom learning into practice by completing a 10-week work placement with Hamilton-based IT company, Enform.
Master of Information Technology student Sam He was one of the students who joined Enform’s software development team, bringing fresh ideas, innovative thinking and energy that accelerated progress.
It was part of his Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) paper, a compulsory paper of his masters and all University of Waikato undergraduate degrees that bridges the gap between classroom learning and real-world professional experience.
During his placement, Sam worked on building an enterprise-level software module, contributing to large-scale projects and troubleshooting technical issues. He was encouraged to think about how different modules interact, how to keep the system scalable, and how any change might affect other parts.
“I really enjoyed facing real technical challenges – diving into a large and mature system, solving complex problems, and delivering working solutions,” Sam says.
It was much more challenging than a school project and helped me understand the gap between theory and real-world development. It also trained me to think from a system and architecture level.
The experience has given him confidence and direction for his future career.
“It also helped me understand how the IT industry works in New Zealand. The internship improved both my technical and professional skills.”
Sandy Muller, Waikato’s Employability Hub Manager, says the partnership with Enform is a great example of students not only observing industry practice but also actively shaping real solutions.
The success of these placements shows how transformative WIL can be in building confident, capable graduates who are ready to step straight into the IT workforce.
The partnership between the University and Enform was established this year, offering internship placements to master students in ICT.
Enform General Manager Pieter Du Plessis says interns have already played a direct role in developing key modules for insight Ensight, Enform’s flagship education management system, helping ensure the platform is grounded in real-world applications and relevant to education providers nationwide.
“Interns integrated seamlessly into the software development team, bringing fresh perspectives, innovative thinking, and renewed energy that accelerated progress on Ensight’s development roadmap,” Pieter says.
“Their contributions - particularly in areas such as disability features, smart dashboards, and dynamic calendar integrations - are set to be game-changers for educators, administrators, and senior leaders across the tertiary education sector.”
