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The future is bright for two tech interns at Nova

Matthew Coelho and Jason Ebbin share a conversation with their suprvisor Brian Hall at the Nova offices in hamilton Friday ( Photo by Glenn Tucker )

Two university students are learning to speak a language this summer that most humans will never understand.As part of their internships at Nova, the Bermuda-based software development company established in 2006, Matthew Coelho and Jason Ebbin are learning C# (pronounced C Sharp), the language in which the company writes its software.For a few months this summer, both students will also learn the ropes of software development, from design and architecture to implantation and support.“We provide structured initiatives that are expected by our interns and only the best candidates get selected,” said Sandra De Silva, managing director. “At Nova we see developing local talent as an important part of what we can give back to the community. We’re pleased to be able to support these students on their career path and see great potential for them as software developers.”The pair will also be under a watchful eye as they contribute on actual production code.Mr Coelho is going into his third year at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia as a software systems major. Mr Ebbin, who also interned with Nova last summer, will be a senior at the University at Edinburgh in Scotland, majoring in computer science and artificial intelligence.Attributing his initial interest in technology to his uncle, who works for internet service provider, North Rock, Mr Coelho narrowed down his focus to software development through the Technology Leadership Forum (TLF).The TLF internship programme is a private sector and government-supported initiative to encourage young students interested in IT to further explore the field.“It’s been really good, we’re doing a number of different things and learning a lot,” said Mr Coelho of working with Nova. He is also receiving a university course credit for his intern experience.Mr Ebbin also is a graduate of the TLF programme where he interned at King Edward Memorial Hospital in their IT department before landing his summer job with Nova.Each student is given time to produce an individual academic project, which they will have to present to Nova developers. They have also decided to work on a joint project together — an interactive map of Bermuda.While the site still in the conceptual stage, both interns are looking create a map that provides a sense of culture — telling a story through pictures, paintings and art that have been created about Bermuda.“We wanted to make something that would help Bermuda tourism,” said Mr Ebbin. “It’s an alternate reality to explore Bermuda in a way that people haven’t seen before.”Both interns are looking to enter into the technology field once they graduate, though they are still deciding on a specific career path.Either way, the future is bright for the duo.According to CIO, a technology publication, which interviewed IT staffing firms, the technology job market, which experienced a strong rebound in 2011 after the recession, is “expected to burn even brighter in 2012, despite global economic challenges.”