GEN mentoring programme & NZSSN research methods short courses🍋
Keeping you up to date with NZ economic events and opportunities
Today’s post features two great opportunities to learn economics skills, and to share your hard-earned skills within the NZ economics community — Dave.
Government Economics Network mentoring programme 2024
Mentor and mentee applications for the Government Economics Network (GEN) mentoring programme are open until 31 July. This 9-month programme pairs new professionals in economics-focused roles with a more experienced mentor. The programme blends one-to-one coaching with cohort workshops and networking. For mentors, the programme offers an opportunity to give back, share your knowledge, and practise leadership and communication skills.
The programme’s objectives are to:
increase awareness, understanding, and effectiveness in the application of economics across the public sector;
accelerate professional and personal development of participants; and
allow mentors to enhance their professional and personal development, connect in a meaningful way, and gain satisfaction from giving back to the public sector and economics community.
The programme consists of:
one-on-one mentoring sessions (face-to-face and/or virtual, depending on preferences and availability);
four facilitated virtual workshops (induction, two special topic sessions to support participants’ journeys, and a closing ceremony); and
reflective journaling for mentees.
If you have any questions about the programme please contact info@gen.org.nz.
Mentees
Mentees are early career public service professionals who apply economics in their professional roles and/or those with professional experience who are looking to apply economics in their roles in the Public Service (e.g. advisors with no formal economics training). Mentees should:
be able to commit to regular mentoring sessions over the 7-month period including four online facilitated workshops;
be ready to enhance skills, knowledge and build networks;
be open to reflection on themselves, their future, and longer-term goals; and
have the support of their manager to participate.
Mentors
Mentors should use (or have used) economics in their professional roles for at least five years. We expect mentors will derive the following benefits from being a GEN mentor:
fresh perspectives and an expanded network of colleagues from a more diverse range of backgrounds;
the satisfaction of transferring skills, knowledge and expertise;
development and practice of a more personal style of leadership;
the opportunity to enhance mentoring and communication skills; and
the opportunity to re-examine their own practices, attitudes and values.
Read more and apply at gen.org.nz/mentoring. Applications close 31 July.
New Zealand Social Statistics Network short course programme
The New Zealand Social Statistics Network (NZSSN) short course programme is now open for enrolments. This marks our 20th year running methods courses! We are offering eight courses over the weeks of 18–22 and 25–29 November, including our integrated data infrastructure (IDI) course in collaboration with the Virtual Health Information Network (VHIN), and two courses new to our roster, which focus on data visualisation. Most courses will run at Massey University’s Wellington Campus; the others are online via Zoom.
WEEK ONE
Qualitative research: designing, doing, and getting it done: Wellington 18–22 November
INSTRUCTORS: Dr Delwyn Goodrick, Social researcher and evaluation consultant; & Rosie Solomon, Ngāpuhi, Qualitative researcher and programme evaluator.
This introductory, interactive course covers a range of qualitative research techniques and best practice for collection and analysis, and working with, and for, Māori research communities. The course does not cover software for analysis, but provides an understanding of the key grounding principles for conducting research in Aotearoa. Details and enrolments.
Mixed methods in social research: online only 18–22 November
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Gordon Emmerson, Honorary Fellow, Victoria University, Melbourne.
A course for researchers who want to know more about using both qualitative and quantitative methods in their research. Gordon delves deeply into the theory on both sides, and the theory and practice of combining methods. Appropriate software for different methods is mentioned, but this course does not explore them. Details and enrolments.
Storytelling with data in Excel: Wellington 18–19 November
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Mark Griffin, Insight Social Research & Statistics, Australia.
A new course in our roster this year, this covers data processing and design principles for making Excel graphs that really have an impact on the viewer. Please note that this course will be taught in a seminar room, so a laptop with the software installed will be required. Details and enrolments.
Storytelling with data in R: Wellington 20–21 November
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Mark Griffin, Insight Social Research & Statistics, Australia.
Another new course, covering much the same content as the Excel course, but for those wanting to learn the techniques for creating high-impact graphs using R. Details and enrolments.
WEEK TWO
Applied statistical procedures: online only 25–29 November
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Gordon Emmerson, Honorary Fellow, Victoria University, Melbourne.
A course giving a good overview of a range of statistical procedures all in one place, taught using SPSS or Jamovi. Topics range from chi-square tests to multivariate analysis of variance to factor analysis. Gordon defines methodologies and practices to enable participants to match their research designs with their research needs, and uses examples from his own experience to explain appropriate procedures for different types of data. Details and enrolments.
Programme evaluation: supporting evidence-informed practice: Wellington 25–27 November
INSTRUCTOR: Dr Delwyn Goodrick, Programme Evaluation Consultant.
A course for public sector workers and academics commissioning, managing, or conducting evaluations of public policy or programmes, or just interested in undertaking such projects. Delwyn has taught this course all around the world, and once again adds huge value with her interesting presentation of case studies. Details and enrolments.
Introduction to SQL: online only 25–28 November
INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Fryer, La Trobe University.
A course introducing the basic structures and commands for handling SQL databases. Participants will work natively using Azure Data Studio, on data sets that have been constructed to illustrate SQL structure, and will move through to more complicated queries and integration of SQL with R by way of Tidyverse. Details and enrolments.
VHIN Introduction to Research in the IDI / VHIN He whakatakinga ki te tangahau i te IDI: Wellington 29 November
INSTRUCTORS: Associate Professor Barry Milne, COMPASS Research Centre, Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland; & Dr Andrea Teng, University of Otago Wellington.
A course in collaboration with the Virtual Health Information Network (VHIN), which describes the data sets available in Statistics New Zealand’s integrated data infrastructure (IDI), and goes through in great detail the requirements and processes for getting started with analysing them. The presenters discuss many studies that have been undertaken using IDI data, including from their own work, and include other expert users in a panel session at day’s end. Details and enrolments.
Please pass this information on to anyone you know that might be interested in these courses. NZSSN will decide on Friday 11 October which courses can go ahead, based on enrolments received, so please enrol sooner rather than later.
Enrolment is handled through the University of Auckland’s Event Services, but please note that these courses carry no university accreditation. If you require an invoice for your enrolment or an internal journal transfer within the University of Auckland, please email nzssncourses@auckland.ac.nz.
If you are paying by bank transfer or credit card, you can enrol directly from the course pages – please see the full list, and from there you can click through for more information on course content and links to enrol. Individual links for each course are provided below above.
Courses will run 8:30am to 4:00pm each day; for online courses this is more flexible at the instructor’s discretion, but online courses will not be recorded, so you will still need to attend the sessions live each day.
NZSSN courses are administered through COMPASS Research Centre, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Thanks to our host for this course programme —Massey University, Wellington.
