Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
13 minutes ago
When EIT Digital Director Kevin Rowland first started coding in September 1976, he wrote his programs on paper and posted them to Plymouth Polytechnic to be run.
Fifty years later, he is using his experience to support learners at EIT, bringing his computing journey full circle.
Kevin joined EIT in April after a career spanning retail, supply chain and digital leadership. For him, the role is an opportunity to give back to the sector that helped him get started.
“I’m treating this as a vocation. I haven’t come here for any other reason apart from wanting to make a difference.”
EIT Digital Director Kevin Rowland marks 50 years since he first began coding in September 1976.
His introduction to computing came at school in Britain, where coding was offered to boys as an alternative to woodwork. Kevin disliked woodwork, so took the opportunity to try something different.
Using a programming language called CESIL, he wrote code on programming sheets that were sent to Plymouth Polytechnic. The polytechnic ran the programs, printed the output and posted it back.
That early experience sparked an interest that led him to begin a Bachelor of Science Honours degree at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in 1981.
“So I started my career, I started writing code at a polytechnic, with a polytechnic. Then I actually did my Honours degree at a polytechnic.”
His working life initially took him into retail, including managing a supermarket in London, before he moved into computing roles in retail and supply chain. His employers included Safeway and The Warehouse Group.
The combination of retail and technical experience helped him understand what people needed and develop practical ways to deliver it.
“Working with people and actually coming up with a logical solution to something, working out the process, working how it was all going to work, and then writing the code for it, that’s what I’ve always done, and I’ve always enjoyed that.”
While technology has changed enormously since those first handwritten programs, Kevin continues to place importance on understanding a problem before choosing the tools to solve it.
“Technology is just an enabler, and what I want to do here is enable EIT to keep growing, keep supporting learners.”
Although EIT is his first role working directly in the tertiary sector, his involvement in education stretches back about 15 years. It has included visits to schools and guest lectures on databases at Ara in Christchurch.
He says EIT’s welcoming environment and the opportunity to make a difference have reinforced his decision to join.
“It’s such a welcoming place, and I feel that here we have the ability to make a significant difference to people’s lives, and I think that’s incredible, absolutely amazing.”
At EIT, his team’s responsibilities extend from networks and online learning systems to classroom audiovisual equipment and support for events. The team also helped set up digital infrastructure and cameras in the new nursing facilities.
Kevin says the breadth of that work reflects the contribution digital staff make across the organisation.
“What makes digital, digital at EIT is the people. And the team here is fantastic.”
Building a positive team culture is a priority.
“I want people to want to come to work. If people want to come to work, they do a better job.”
His ambition is for digital services to work so reliably that staff and learners can concentrate on their work without needing to think about the technology behind it.
“What I want to do is to become invisible. Because people walk into a room and everything works.”
As he looks towards retirement in five years, Kevin sees EIT as an opportunity to complete the circle that began with a school programming sheet and a polytechnic willing to run his code.
“So to me, it’s about closing that loop, finishing that circle.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/29/eit-digital-director-marks-50-years-since-first-coding/