Workforce shortage in the sights of GROW program to bring refugees to regional NSW

When Esiteli Nyirarukundo moved from a Kenyan refugee camp to Albury in New South Wales during 2016, she did not know what to expect.

She had lived in the camp for six years, after originally coming from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

When she arrived in southern NSW, she was just shy of turning 25, spoke limited English, and was a single mother to a young son.

Now she is the one helping people take their first steps to settle in a new country.

Esiteli Nyirarukundo arrived in Albury in 2016 from a refugee camp in Kenya.(Supplied: Esiteli Nyirarukundo)

Ms Nyirarukundo is the local coordinator of a new program that helps migrants and refugees establish themselves in Murray and Riverina regional communities.

“For the longest time I’ve been having a passion to support and help migrants and refugees, because I understand their challenges,” she said.

Called Growing Regions of Welcome (GROW), the NSW government pilot program is particularly targeting people living in Western Sydney and showing them the opportunities that can be found outside the city.

The program was launched this week at the Kotzur factory in the tiny town of Walla Walla, north of Albury.

As she watched a group of brightly dressed Congolese women dancing and singing to celebrate the event, Ms Nyirarukundo couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

A good lifestyle and plenty of work 

When Ms Nyirarukundo first settled in Albury, she did not know anyone.

But she did know some people from DRC who lived in Blacktown, Western Sydney. They tried to encourage her to move to Sydney and be near them and other people who shared her language and her culture.

“I went to visit there and stayed for one week, but I said, ‘This is not for me’,” Ms Nyirarukundo said.

“I didn’t like it. It was just too overwhelming for me.”

Towns like Walla Walla want to show refugees how much regional areas have to offer.(ABC News: Katherine Smyrk)

Soon after arriving in Albury, Ms Nyirarukundo started volunteering with the Red Cross, helping support new arrivals.

They encouraged her to do a course in community services and, after completing her studies, she landed a job as a bilingual support worker.

Now she is married to an Albury man, has three more children, and is building a house.

Ms Nyirarukundo hopes she can help others find homes and careers in the region through the GROW program.

“Most of my friends in Sydney are mainly driving taxis or those kinds of jobs. I think there’s a lot of benefit for people who want to come and experience the lifestyle [here],” she said.

“You get time to spend with your family. You can take your children to soccer, which is hard in Sydney because they are busy busy.”

A ‘win win’ situation

Andrew Kotzur owns the silo and storage manufacturing business in Walla Walla and is closely involved in local planning for the GROW program.

He said the community stood to benefit, too.

“It’s no secret there’s a shortage of people for workforce,” Mr Kotzur said.

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“I think that’s where it becomes a win-win.

“It’s a win for communities in terms of increasing their diversity, and clearly for businesses it’s an opportunity for prospective employees, and we don’t lose anything by providing opportunities.”

But Mr Kotzur said housing and transport posed a challenge.

“Part of the reason for the GROW program is so that we can collectively find solutions to those problems,” he said.

“It’s something a community like Walla Walla can’t do on their own, but by combining the Federation Council, Greater Hume Council and Albury council into this pilot, we’re hoping we can find solutions that will help us.”

Andrew Kotzur at his Walla Walla factory with Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure.(ABC News: Katherine Smyrk)

NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure was at the launch in Walla Walla and called the program a “game changer” for migrants and refugees.

“I think it’s a wonderful test case,” he said.

“It’s a wonderful example for the rest of the nation that a regional town such as Walla can open and embrace our migrants and our refugees here in regional NSW.

“It just shows that our multicultural success story is not just metropolitan Sydney or Melbourne. It’s right throughout Australia, from the beach to the bush.”

A ‘rewarding’ contribution

For Ms Nyirarukundo, it is just exciting to get started.

“It’s rewarding to know that I can contribute to the growth and the economy of this country, but also support migrants and refugees who are sometimes overlooked.”

But she acknowledged it could be be “very, very hard” to move into a regional area with no connections.

“There’s fear of isolation, of being separated from your community, and you don’t even know if the community you’re going to is welcoming,” Ms Nyirarukundo said.

“We want to do the work so that when people are ready to move here they are well supported, they are well received and they are welcomed.

“That’s another big factor to make them stay here.”

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Posted 37m ago37 minutes agoSat 2 Jul 2022 at 2:35am, updated 6m ago6 minutes agoSat 2 Jul 2022 at 3:06am

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Sheikh Asif – An inspiration for young entrepreneurs « Khabarhub

KATHMANDU: Sheikh Asif, from Srinagar in Kashmir Valley, was a school dropout who went on to become not only an entrepreneur but also the Founder and CEO of Thames Infotech, a UK-based company.

Asif, being a brilliant student, had to leave his schooling midway due to financial problems. However, he continued to learn about computers while working in different shops in his locality.

To reach this stage, Asif has seen many ups and downs in his life. Asif’s struggle began in the year 2000 when his father fell ill, and his illness remains a mystery to them to date.

These circumstances forced Asif to say goodbye to his educational career and start seeking a job at the age of 15.

Asif is a school dropout. Due to financial problems, he couldn’t continue his studies, but he didn’t give up on his dream of becoming a tech guy.

In 2014 Asif was financially stable enough to set up his own business. But due to the 2014 floods in Kashmir, he was again proved unlucky. “At that point, he gave up for a while, but his family was my biggest motivation.”

Raising awareness about IT studies in India was the main reason for Asif to come back from Manchester, the UK in 2018. Most students prefer medical and non-medical subjects only.

In his first interview, Asif did not get what he desired. He did get a chance to work at Thames Infotech, at a very nominal wage. But he was happy to get an opportunity to display his talent, which later became his interest, and he became the owner of the same company in which he was an employee.

In search of a job in web designing, he started a journey from Kashmir to Delhi and from Delhi to London. After working with a company in London for one month, the company owner didn’t want him anymore. In a state of hopelessness, he wandered the streets of London. It was the same company that was owned by Asif this time.

Asif has received numerous awards and has written three books, “Digitization in Business,” “Start a Business,” and “Online Business Ideas.”Apart from business and classes, Sheikh Asif has conducted many awareness programs about hacking and assisted over 300 businesses and individuals in regaining control of their social media accounts that were hacked.

Sheikh Asif started his first job with a salary of Rs. 1500, and due to his hard work and dedication, he is now the CEO and founder of Thames Infotech, a U.K.-based firm with a valuation of Rs. 5 crores and is earning Rs. 2 to 3 lakhs.

The books are about digitization in business, how to start a business, and 27 online business thoughts, respectively. These books also tell us about digital marketing, how social platforms help us in growing businesses, and why a business should have a website.

One of the books is free of cost and can be ordered from Amazon, which has both E-book format and paperback. “Online Business Ideas,” a booklet Asif has written, is available free of cost on Google Books.

He is also giving free tuition for web designing, digital marketing, and graphics to students, using both online as well as offline mediums for it. Students can reach him directly through the official website of https://sheikhasif.com or his Facebook @sheeikhasif or Instagram @sheiikhaasif to register for the said courses from any country.

Asif has received numerous awards, including “Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by The Fireboxx Bangalore.” Asif’s name was listed as a Padam Shiri award nominee in 2022.

Raising awareness about IT studies in India was the main reason for Asif to come back from Manchester, the UK in 2018. Most students prefer medical and non-medical subjects only.

“As freelancers, we can work from home and earn a good living, and there will be no time limitations while working.” “This is the beauty of IT studies only,” said Asif while explaining the importance of learning information technology.

He has guided 1000+ plus students so far. But a small percentage of students are from Kashmir.

While Asif’s major source of income is the company he founded in the United Kingdom, he has pledged himself to continue to mentor and teach students for free online.

Due to his hard work and dedication, Asif has become a household name in Kashmir. He is offering free classes in digital marketing, web design, and graphic design.

Asif has received numerous awards, including “Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by The Fireboxx Bangalore.” Asif’s name was listed as a Padam Shiri award nominee in 2022.

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UBM Development : sells project and construction management subsidiary Alba to leading international consultancy Currie & Brown

Vienna, 01.07.2022 UBM Development is selling its German project and construction management subsidiary, alba Bau | Projekt Management GmbH, to the leading international consultancy Currie & Brown. Currie & Brown is a global leader in asset management and construction consultancy services with 2,100 employees worldwide. This acquisition adds significantly to Currie & Brown’s existing footprint in mainland Europe and will provide market-leading sector expertise in critical areas of project and cost management.

Alba generates nearly 90% of its business with third parties, and its activities are not within UBM’s new strategic focus. However, Alba represents 20% of the UBM workforce with its 75 employees.

“Alba has always acted with complete independence on the market and now has even better future prospects as part of a global market leader in Alba’s area of expertise. This sale represents a further step for UBM in its pure-play strategy “, commented Thomas G. Winkler, CEO of UBM, on the transaction.

In exchange, Currie & Brown will receive wide-ranging access to the German market as well as strong project management expertise, a solid customer base and an excellently managed company.

“Welcoming Alba into the Currie & Brown family is a significant moment for our business. It provides us with an immediate and substantial presence in the German market. The depth of Alba’s expertise in project management is of huge importance to our business. The property and real estate market is becoming ever more complex and our clients are diversifying rapidly. Reinforcing our existing capabilities with Alba is a real benefit to our future growth aspirations.” said Alan Manuel, CEO of Currie & Brown Group.

The parties have agreed not to disclose any information on the purchase price.

UBM Development develops real estate for Europe’s metropolitan areas. The strategic focus is on green building and smart office in major cities such as Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt and Prague. Ratings that include Gold from EcoVadis and Prime Status from ISS ESG confirm the consequent focus on sustainability. With close to 150 years of experience, UBM offers all development services from a single source, from planning to marketing. The shares are listed on the Prime Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange, the segment with the highest transparency requirements.

For additional information contact:
Christoph Rainer
Head of Investor Relations
UBM Development AG
Mob.: + 43 664 80 1873 200
Email: christoph.rainer@ubm-development.com

Karl Abentheuer
Head of Corporate Communications
UBM Development AG
Mob.: + 43 664 136 34 23
Email: karl.abentheuer@ubm-development.com

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Edtech’s future in India: Affordability and access can be casualties of innovation unless they receive explicit attention

Edtech, or the use of digital technology tools for education, particularly including online learning, promises to be an important contributor to India’s economic development. India’s education system has suffered from inadequate resources, outdated curricula, rigidity, and poor incentives. The New Educational Policy of 2020 and its immediate predecessors marked some fresh thinking in the direction of improving learning processes and increasing flexibility. Given the challenges of the implementation of change in the public sector, Edtech can play a major role in revamping the Indian educational system.

The pandemic obviously gave edtech an enormous boost. Those with access to the internet and the means could substitute for the absence of in-person education. Billions of dollars of new investment flowed into edtech, creating several new unicorns. Over three-quarters of the new investment went into test preparation startups. This is not surprising, since doing well in school-leaving examinations and in entrance examinations for prestigious university courses and government jobs is vital in a country with an extreme scarcity of positions in universities and in employment. In this case, in the short run, edtech just exacerbated the worst features of the Indian educational system.

As the constraints created by the pandemic have wound down, there has been a return to in-person learning, and the weaker edtech startups have been retrenching or shutting down. In other cases, the strongest firms, like BYJU’s, have been making acquisitions, and this consolidation is a welcome development in an industry with thousands of new entrants. One feature of the industry is its competitiveness, and the ability of students to choose and switch based on the value they are getting is an important new feature of Indian education. This is true on the whole, even though there is some degree of lock-in when students begin a course and find that it is not what they expected. The new normal involves hybrid solutions and a world where students can choose between online and in-person offerings for segments such as test preparation.

In other areas, edtech offers even more benefits—certification, upskilling and skill development are all important features of a modern economy, and online access to content and instruction is often the only feasible option for those who cannot take time off from work, or travel to a physical site after a full workday. Edtech also offers considerable scope for enrichment education (such as music) for younger children of higher-income households-again, the nature of transport and distance in many Indian contexts means that traditional home tutoring at the high end is no longer viable.

One very important aspect of edtech lies on the supply side. A more competitive, inclusive, and flexible model on the supply side will mean that those who are appropriately skilled and good at teaching will thrive more. Others will have an incentive to improve their teaching, since they will be more readily rewarded for delivering better quality. In this sense, teaching is different from other forms of the gig economy. Education is a much more differentiated service, both in types of knowledge being imparted, and levels of knowledge and skill.

Another factor in favour of edtech is the ability to use recorded instructional material. This increases time flexibility and economises on time, since the same lectures do not have to be given over and over in real time. This is the foundation of massive open online courses (Moocs), but there is much more scope for the use of recorded lectures in hybrid formats, especially in university settings. US universities began to pursue this avenue during the pandemic, combining live online delivery with lecture capture, and that has continued with a return to in-person. A student might even be able to choose between three options-being in the classroom, watching a lecture live online, or watching the recording subsequently. Even before the pandemic, instructors were experimenting with pre-recorded lectures and “flipped” classrooms. One has the sense that India can do much more with these innovations, perhaps through partnerships between edtech firms and universities.

Competition and the need to maintain reputation can help control quality problems. But affordability and access can be casualties of innovation unless they receive explicit attention. Some degree of cross-subsidisation through financial aid can help, though verification of need can be difficult. Better public digital can be very important in leveling the playing field, and subsidising devices for poorer students can also be a workable policy. CSR goals in edtech have a natural expression in aid for students needing it. One avenue that can be very problematic, however, is the involvement of global tech giants like Meta, which offer what seems like attractive options but will lead to future lock-in and monopolistic control. If foreign expertise and financial capital are needed, Indian educational providers might instead do better with university partners from abroad.

(The author is Professor of economics, University of California, Santa Cruz)

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Private Equity MSP Investment: BBH Capital Partners Backs Quest Technology Management

by Joe Panettieri • Jul 1, 2022

Private equity firm BBH Capital Partners (BBHCP) has invested in Quest Technology Management, a California-based MSP that specializes in cybersecurity, disaster recovery, cloud infrastructure, and unified communications. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology investment deal number 576 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 1,000 technology M&A deals involving MSPs, MSSPs & IT service providers listed here.

Private Equity Investment Supports California Managed IT Services Provider

Quest Technology Management, founded in 1982, is based in Roseville, California — near Sacramento. The company has 140 employees listed on LinkedIn. Quest serves mid-market enterprises across such vertical markets as  Healthcare, Education, Aerospace & Defense, Finance, and Telecommunications.

BBH, based in New York, has more than 5,000 employees across 17 locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The firm’s private equity arm, BBHCP, typically invests $10 million to $150 million into businesses with target enterprise values of 20 million to more than $750 million. The capital ranges from buyouts and growth equity to recapitalizations and acquisitions, the firm says.

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Spotlight on online gaming | Hogan Lovells

[co-author: Dr. Adrian Rudert]

There is no need to say that online gaming has conquered the world and certainly will shape the future. It is an industry with one of the quickest product launches, rise of new market players and key drivers for new technology – yet it is prone to issues such as trademark infringement and money laundering in a constantly changing regulatory environment across jurisdictions. We help you succeed in our ventures and overcome legal challenges. We help you reach the next level.

Times are good for Online Gaming

Whereas the former Section 4 (4) of the State Treaty on Gambling prohibited the organisation and brokerage of public games of chance on the internet, the new Section 4 (4) of the State Treaty on Gambling now expressly enables the licensing of online lotteries, online sports betting, online horse betting, virtual slot games and online poker if the respective requirements are met – marking a paradigm shift in gambling regulation. In its new coalition agreement, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia recognized the games industry as a significant economic factor and plans to establish North Rhine-Westphalia as a leading games location from 2022 to 2027 – expressly supporting gaming culture and e-Sports.

For developers, publishers or any other service provider in the online gaming world legal challenges are circumstances which impact their success story. Helping you navigate through the regulatory jungle on both national and global level to reap the benefits of the newest legal market opening is our game – it’s what we do best.

Area of Focus

• Video Game Development and Publishing

• e-Sports licensing developments

• Online Games & Mobile Games

• Online Lottery/Racing Industry

• Intellectual Property – Patents for various games

• Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Legal Issues of Virtual Currency and Virtual Objects

• Legal Drafting of Gaming Contracts

[View source.]

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What tech entrepreneur will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

One of the most well-known names in Silicon Valley will be awarded the highest honor a U.S. civilian can receive. Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was recently announced as one of 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony that will take place on July 7.

Though he passed away in 2011, Jobs’ legacy in the tech industry has endured. “His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries,” the White House said.

The other awardees include Simone Biles, Sister Simone Campbell, Julieta Garcia, Gabrielle Giffords, Fred Gray, Father Alexander Karloutsos, Khizr Khan, Sandra Lindsay, John McCain (posthumous award), Diane Nash, Megan Rapinoe, Alan Simpson, Richard Trumka (posthumous award), Wilma Vaught, Denzel Washington and Raul Yzaguirre.

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