The New York-based Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has announced the world’s Smart21 Communities of 2015 – with the Sunshine Coast named as one of the 21 for the second year in a row. Mayor Mark Jamieson welcomed the announcement, saying the Sunshine Coast was punching well above its weight in competing with the world’s information technology-savvy communities. “The Forum, part of the internationally affiliated Intelligent Community Forum Foundation, has only named 134 communities worldwide to date over the last 16 years so we’re in exclusive company,” he said. “Each in this select group will now be vying for the ultimate…

The Institute of Professional Learning will host several fun and interactive workshops for school children during the summer holidays. There are plenty of options to choose from, including: Intro to coding Create a phone app Make a film Take a photo Build a biz Build a robot Girls in robotics  Each workshop involves 4-5 sessions which are three-hours long. Read more about the summer student workshops which will be held from 12-16 January 2015 at Sippy Downs. The Institute of Professional Learning (IPL) is part of the Department of Education, Training and Employment and provides opportunities for young people to participate…

Zach Johnson, CEO of Sunshine Coast-based Atmail, says many regional areas have world-class technology talent: I am not an Australian. Instead, I chose to move here – twice, in fact. Since first arriving on these shores in 2005, I have had the pleasure of working with innovative thinkers in both the private and the public sector in every state and territory. We are a world-class producer of technology and innovation and only by bringing the sector together, irrespective of location, can all of our technology companies, not just the unicorns in Sydney, share the spotlight with our brethren overseas. During these…

Queensland workers could cut commute times, earn higher salaries and open doors to new employment and lifestyle opportunities by working from home with faster broadband, according to the Connected Commuters research report. The report commissioned by NBN Co, the company delivering the National Broadband Network (NBN), reveals one in ten Australians surveyed would work from home more often if they had fast and reliable broadband. The findings also show that while three quarters of Australian workers surveyed believe the internet is important or vital to their job, half of those who have worked from home were frustrated with their current…

This page has been archived. For information on current coding workshops please visit: ​http://sunshinecoast.coderdojo.com.au Are you looking to inspire the next generation? The success of the CoderDojo Sunshine Coast program and teaching kids to code depends on volunteer mentors. Three new CoderDojo workshops start on 18 October and run for six Saturdays, where young people aged 7-17 can learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs and games. Mentors are required for Institute for Professional Learning (IPL) at Sippy Downs and Maroochydore Library locations. You don’t need to be an expert in coding – all you need is a passion for helping…

The Digital Sunshine Coast team has been busy creating videos to support the Digital Champions stories.  All videos are available on the Youtube channel, however a sample is available below. Digital Champion: Zane from Commission Factory Digital Champion: Feda Adra from Comlink Digital Champion: Brian Keayes from TEDXNoosa Digital Champion: Craig Josic from The-Core Digital Champion: Yvette Adams from The Creative Collective Background to the Digital Sunshine Coast Draft Digital Action Plan project - featuring Russell Mason from RDA Sunshine Coast, Zach Johnson from Atmail and Matt Forman from Taffika The Digital Sunshine Coast Draft Digital Action Plan launch event - featuring Mayor Mark…

Four start-ups, doing everything from reducing killer western Sydney commutes to making geocoded address information more accessible, have won an ‘open innovation’ competition with the prize a 12-week accelerator program hosted by the University of Western Sydney, and access to potential clients provided by co-sponsor PwC. The competition sought to solve four problems experienced by people living in Sydney’s western sprawl, identified by PwC and UWS in conjunction with the NSW Government and program partners Google and Cisco. A lack of teleworking and smart work hubs, fuelling the predicament for residents of Greater Western Sydney who work in the Sydney…

Queensland public servants could soon be working remotely if a trial underway in the state's south-east proves employees remained productive away from their head office. The Flexible Work Centre Trial began in May this year when the State Government rented space in shared offices at Southport on the Gold Coast and Redcliffe north of Brisbane. The 12-month trial will evaluate the viability of staff working from commercially run offices. Data is being collected on the use and productivity of flexible work centres and the results will be used to form policy in the future. Queensland Innovation Minister Ian Walker said the…

The 2014 Sunshine Coast Startup Weekend is now behind us, and we eagerly awaiting the announcement of the dates for the 2015 Sunshine Coast Startup weekend.  In the meantime, check out this fabulous short 5 minute video showcasing this recent past event, created by Marcus. This is Startup Weekend from Marcus H on Vimeo. For further information about Startup Weekend Sunshine Coast: sunshinecoast.startupweekend.org