The WinterNZ internship scheme that sees students hone their skills in software development and marketing over the Kiwi summer is on for another year.

It was founded by Kiwi Landing Pad director and Kea World Class New Zealand winner Craig Elliott, whose company Pertino Networks last year played host to three students.

They worked on with teams in quality assurance and development, writing code for, and testing, Pertino’s production service. “Bringing Kiwi tech whiz kids to the other side of the Pacific is part of a bigger plan to strengthen the global IT community,” he says.

“Students are assigned to specific teams with opportunities and projects that will directly contribute to the company. Mentors provide WinterNZ with the support they need to become integral parts of their teams. Interns and employees alike learn tremendously from the exchanges that occur during the internship period.”

This year the programme will expand to more Silicon Valley-based tech companies and Kiwi Landing Pad is calling for more firms to get involved. Applications need to be recent graduates or those about to finish a Bachelors degree or higher.

They also have to be New Zealand citizens. Applications open at the end of June and close on 25 July.

The internship runs from December to next March.