Developing swim safe app

Students Frano Gabric (left), Lachlan Farron and Hayden Christie being mentored by Megan Raynor.

Otumoetai College students Frano Gabric, Lachlan Farron and Hayden Christie made a presentation last Friday on the progress they had made in learning how to research and market their award-winning swim safe app during a two-week business internship.

The students received the internship for winning the 2014 Young Innovator Awards (YiA ) Supreme prize.

Swim Safe evaluated the sea's movement patterns and identified the signs of a rip. The internship was awarded to a Tauranga or Western Bay of Plenty secondary school student entry that showed promise and had qualities that were of a standard that deserved additional support.

The internship was provided by Locus Research and Woods - The Creative Agency, whose teams mentored and supported the students.

"Partnering with and harnessing the expertise of two local award-winning companies has enabled us to create a unique programme offered to our region's 10 secondary schools," said Lyn Parlane, Priority One's Instep manager.

"The transferable knowledge and skills the boys gained through this internship can also be applied at school," she said.

Ms Parlane said the two local companies contributed significant time and energy making the awards fit with the transferable skills businesses needed. The winners were given an opportunity to gain experience working in a product development, innovation, marketing, brand and design environment.

The internship was part work experience, where the students put into practice what they had learned in school and through entering YiA, and part research, where they could further investigate and develop their chosen topic or project.

The students delivered their project presentation to their parents, teachers, business mentors and Priority One.

Jono Jones, research director at Locus Research, said the internship was a great way for the boys to develop a more detailed understanding of the opportunity they had created through YiA and what was required to take it to the market.

"They were also able to spend a week in a commercial product development environment, which will have given them an idea of what it is like in practice. They also had to get out and talk to real people that would use and contribute to the App development, which is critical to the development of a product or service."

Woods client manager Debbie Welsh said YiA was a great opportunity to showcase the true talent of young people in the Western Bay of Plenty.

"Year after year we get to see the most brilliant minds at work - it's very exciting," she said.

YiA was established in 2009 by Instep. The 2015 awards will be launched next month.