Hundreds of high school students from across Queensland are spending some of their school holidays at QUT this week for the Future You Summit – a youth conference that brings industry and university experts together to help to prepare our next generation for an economy supercharged by the 2032 Olympics.
Industry guest speakers fields including health, aviation, IT, the arts, banking and sport are among those sharing their knowledge over the four-day event (September 25 to 28).
Queensland Minister Di Farmer (Minister for Employment and Small Business, Minister for Training and Skills Development) also addressed the school students on Tuesday.
Held across QUT’s two inner-city campuses, the summit has attracted 250 students (some pictured above at the day one orientation) from Year 11 and Year 12. In addition to hearing from leaders, they are participating in technology and entrepreneurial-focused challenges during the event.
Today’s school students will face an overwhelmingly wide range of potential education and career paths.
Professor Rowena Barrett is the QUT Pro-Vice Chancellor of Entrepreneurship and believes this next generation of the workforce have been dealt a double-edged sword of challenge and opportunity.
“The greatest thing about Queensland has always been that we’ve done things our own way external to Sydney and Melbourne,” Professor Barrett said.
“Our ideas and work ethic has been the entrepreneurial heart that has driven us forward as a state.
“As Queensland prepares for the supercharged economy that will be brought on by the 2032 Olympics, our job is to prepare students to stand tall in this increasingly competitive environment.
“The Future You Summit aims to illuminate pathways to a promising future for high school students and the next generation of Queensland’s leaders and entrepreneurs.”
Lillian Goodwin from Emerald State High School in Central Queensland is one of the regional students travelling to Brisbane for the QUT summit.
She will attend with the goal of following a career that blends clinical science and design to make healthcare more available in regional communities.
“Ensuring access to healthcare, particularly in remote and regional communities, is one of the world's most pressing challenges and I am driven to be a part of that solution,” Lillian said.
“Living in a regional Queensland, I have seen and experienced the need for health professionals, specialists and facilities in my own community. Due to living in a remote location, many people struggle to access care because of distance and economic stress.
“The Future You Summit is an opportunity to broaden my entrepreneurial outlook on healthcare and design.”
Professor Lisa Scharoun, Head of the School of Design, is also involved in the summit.
Her career has included projects that have improved access to healthcare in regional Australia and she is excited by the opportunity to share that experience with students.
“I’ve spent my career contributing to design solutions for healthcare access in remote communities and to hear about students like Lillian, who are also interested in these causes, really fills me with hope,” Professor Scharoun said.
“The goal of the Future You Summit is to connect students with industry-experienced counterparts to help forge a meaningful way forward for those students and, ultimately, arm them with the experience they need to thrive in future.”
QUT senior lecturer Dr Natalie Wright from the School of Architecture and Built Environment is one of the QUT experts running a student workshop this week.
She has been facilitating design workshops for school students and teachers since 2010 at QUT and in schools across Queensland, as her research explores the value of design thinking in education.
“Approaching everyday challenges with a human-centred design mindset can help us strengthen and widen our perceptions, observations, critical thinking, creative problem solving and people skills,” she said.
“These are critical if we are to develop and visually communicate better systems, processes, products and environments to fulfil the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in our rapidly changing world.
“At my interior architecture/industrial design workshop at the Future You Summit the school students will be constructing a cardboard chair, considering aesthetics, ergonomics and environmental impact under the pressure test of time and weight.
“It sounds like a simple exercise but it’s challenging to execute and they really to have think outside the square, understand the material and utilise effective teamwork. It’s a fun way to learn and collaborate, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”
Image at top: High school students attending the orientation session on day one of the 2023 QUT Future You Summit.
QUT Media contacts:
- Mechelle McMahon, media@qut.edu.au
- After hours, 0407 585 901 or media@qut.edu.au
