We’re thrilled to have delivered the second year of PowerHER in partnership with The Orbispace Initiative, following the outstanding success of last year’s pilot program.
After a highly successful inaugural year that brought together 100 students and teachers across two days, PowerHER returns in 2026 expanded to 190 Year 10 girls and their teachers, with support from AirTrunk.
PowerHER is a 2-day career immersion bootcamp designed to give students and educators a head start on the future of work. The program blends hands-on learning, real-world role exploration, industry mentorship, and inspiring talks from leaders across research, technology, engineering, policy, and innovation.
The 2025 pilot program attracted strong industry interest and was made possible through the generous support of Equis. Feedback from students and teachers demonstrated the program’s immediate impact. One teacher reported that four of the ten students who attended changed their elective selections to create a pathway toward studying engineering.
Students gain more than 18 hours of future-focused experience, while teachers participate alongside them and receive curriculum-connected learning they can embed back into the classroom.
The program explores career pathways directly connected to Year 10 subject selection and emerging industries tied to the energy transition and future workforce needs.
Day 1 of the program features talks and workshops led by a curated group of UNSW experts and students on topics including AI and robotics, the future of transport, communicating complex concepts and a motivational talk on high performance in the context of Formula 1. The day ended with a fireside chat with Emily Gadaleta and Sinay Salomon from Tesla and Simran Jaggi from Microsoft.
Day 2 culminates in a half-day hackathon where students collaborate in teams to design future communities and present solutions from multiple stakeholder perspectives. With support from 20 volunteer mentors, the girls worked through a simulation covering scenarios from a range of perspectives ranging from educational outreach to wildlife conservation.
PowerHer isn’t just about increasing interest in STEM—it’s about making future careers visible, possible, and personal. It supports both students and educators to engage with Australia’s energy future in ways that are practical, meaningful, and immediately impactful.