Our #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo held in Penrith on 1 July 2025, celebrated more students, more experts and more STEM.
Boasting double the amount of attendees than 2024, this year's event emphasised how industry can collaborate with the community to make STEM subjects feel real and relevant.
About the #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo
With more than 730 year 7 - 10 students, the 2025 Expo was a hive of activity. From hands on experience with Indigenous science to robotic dogs and how viruses are helping us to fight bacteria, the Expo had it all.
At a glance the Expo saw:
- 18 schools from 10 LGAs
- 115 STEM professionals
- 39 organisations
-
30 workshop sessions
Workshops with Yindyamrra Walkabouts - 5 interactive presentations.
The exhibition space welcomed a vast landscape of industry professionals such as Bosch, the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and the Australian Catholic University, providing extensive insights about career opportunities and study pathways available to the next generation. While the interactive workshops gave students a chance to experiment, build, and explore STEM concepts in action.
Panelist and Expo participant Stephanie Lynch from Phage Australia, shared how effective the Expo was to connect with the next generation.
"We have work experience placements and this event allowed us to proactively talk to students about opportunities in the field and educate them about what we do. It’s a great way to achieve outreach and also highlight the impact of citizen science and how the community can help", Stephanie said.
Mark Jones from Western Sydney University echoed how useful the Expo was to reach students considering a STEM pathway.
"By attending the Expo we are really hoping to inspire students into science. The event wa
s flooded with students wanting to ask all sorts of questions, particularly those who are just starting to think about science. We can guide them about what they need to do to have science career", Mark said.
Second year apprentice at Airbus, Aiden Schloss, spoke about Expo as being a useful tool to inform students about their industry while also hoping to assist with filling the pipeline of aviation professionals.
"I've loved attending the event to showcase the high demand for young people in the aviation industry. We hope to inspire the next generation and show them how our industry is full of passion and opportunity".
Why it matters
The #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo helps students learn more about what they are interested in, demystify industries they might not have considered, or discover a completely new career path they never knew existed.
The Expo also provides industry professionals a chance to educate and engage with students face-to-face, hear about their interests and identify opportunities for connection.
A year 10 student from Norwest Christian College spoke about how the event assisted her with her upcoming subject selection.
"The event was really great for people who might not be aware of what's on offer for their future careers. It helped with my upcoming subject selection, I was able to talk to universities and businesses. It showed me a wide range of sciences and I was able to get a greater understanding of what is on offer."
#WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo Panel
The Expo allows students to hear firsthand how STEM applies to real-world challenges. The panel of STEM professionals shared honest advice about navigating their STEM career journeys, their top tips for being successful in STEM and the power of diversity in STEM.
Hazel, a risk analyst from Schneider Electric spoke to the relevance and usefulness of STEM skills
"When I was in Year 10 I never thought I would use things like cosine and sine in my life. Now I work as a risk analyst and I can see how applicable STEM subjects are, you would be surprised to learn how many applications there are from STEM studies."
Dr Thomas Jefferies, Microbial Ecologist, Western Sydney University recommended STEM as pathway for a purposeful career.
"Devote your career to doing something that can help lots of people and that is useful. We are in a time where the world has a lot of challenges in environment and health, and science can solve those challenges," Dr Jefferies said.
Generation STEM Program Manager Kirsty O'Sullivan spoke to the success of the event and what a privilege is has been to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals.
"We're incredibly grateful to have facilitated this event, where STEM careers take centre stage. STEM is a dynamic blend of creativity, problem solving, and collaboration. When we get to connect industry and students we see a real interest in STEM spark and eyes are opened to a career has endless pathways."
Get involved
The #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo is a deliverable of the STEM Community Partnerships Program, which aims to highlight local STEM careers and opportunities, and provide avenues for students to develop their STEM skills in an engaging and rewarding way.
Events like the Expo could not happen without a broad range of STEM businesses and organisations willing to support. A huge shout out to this year’s expo sponsors: University of Western Sydney, Australian Catholic University and Aerologix.
If your business or organisation is interested in participating in next year’s #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo or sponsoring the event, please reach out the Generation STEM team.
If you are a parent or student and would like to learn more about STEM pathways please check out our #WithSTEMYouCan website.
The #WithSTEMYouCan Careers Expo is proudly delivered by Generation STEM, a 10-year initiative to build a strong and more diverse STEM pipeline in NSW. Managed by CSIRO, the program is made possible by the NSW Government’s $25 million endowment to the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF).