On 13 November 2024, more than 1,000 students from 44 schools across Greater Western Sydney gathered at Blacktown Leisure Centre Stanhope to explore the exciting potential of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) careers at the 2024 AWS Girls’ Tech Day.

Now in its sixth year, AWS Girls' Tech Day in Australia has inspired over 3,200 students and 230 teachers from 95 local primary and high schools to pursue STEAM subjects. This year's event featured a wide range of interactive experiences led by industry experts and partnering universities, science centres, and companies like Western Sydney University, Questacon, Monash Nova Rover, Thales, Sydney Water, TAFE NSW and NECA.

NSW State Member for Riverstone, Warren Kirby opened up proceedings with a speech followed by Blacktown City Council Mayor Brad Bunting and AWS VP for Data Centers Kerry Pearson and AWS Director Data Center Planning & Delivery Carly Wishart. Minister for Communications, and Federal Member for Greenway, Michelle Rowland MP sent a video a message of support. The floor was then open for primary school aged students to explore over 20 exhibitors who had different STEAM activities to engage the girls.

In the afternoon, Deputy Premier, Londonderry MP, Minister for Education & Early Learning, Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car sent her well wishes for the event before a female panel of STEAM professionals spoke about their background and answered questions from the students. The panel included Suzie Matthews – Executive Director Skills and Workforce Programs, NSW Department of Education, Sam Haskins – Operations Manager, Support Engineering AWS, Renata Tracey – Data Centre Civil Engineer AWS and Amy Jaballah – Community Engagement Manager AWS.

The high school students were then free to discover the different exhibitors and get hands-on with the various STEAM activities on display. Interactive activities included Moon to Mars Rover Challenges, Virtual Firefighting Technology and Game Art Exploration.

Overall, the AWS Girls’ Tech Day was deemed a big success with the largest attendance ever with the number of primary and high school students exceeding 1,000. Feedback from students and teachers from Western Sydney were overwhelmingly positive of the event and included;

“My biggest takeaway is probably the real need we have of women in STEAM. I feel like it's always being advertised and marketed as something that we need. But today, we actually heard from people who are in the industry. I feel like that makes a difference, as well as the stats that there are 85,000 jobs that we'll need in tech soon. I think that's a good motivating factor for a lot of young women, especially those who aspire to have a STEAM career like myself," said Kareena, student from Blacktown Girls’ High School.

“The event is fantastic. It can have a massive impact on young girls. It’s great for them to see and experience the many opportunities available,” said Ash, student from Springwood High School.

“This event is simply amazing and I genuinely think it inspires all young women, especially from our school and other schools. They need that exposure to get motivated, to think about careers in the future and start thinking about those little things that actually go a long way,” said Gaya Sujeevan, teacher from Glenwood High School.

Since 2018, AWS Girls' Tech Day events globally have reached over 21,000 girls and young women aged 8-24, inspiring them to develop and pursue interests in technology careers that will drive progress.

"AWS is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of tech innovators, especially young women and girls, to help address the digital skills gap in Australia," said Michelle Hardie, Head of Proserve for AWS in Australia and New Zealand. "Through initiatives like AWS Girls' Tech Day, and our collaboration with Inspiring the Future, we're expanding perspectives on STEAM careers. Our commitment to skills development is evident in our training of over 400,000 individuals in Australia since 2017. By fostering diverse talent, we're driving innovation and preparing Australia's future problem-solvers and changemakers."

“Schools Industry Partnership has been supporting students and young people to make the transition from school to further education and employment for three decades,“ said Laura Ramos, CEO of Schools Industry Partnership. “Our Inspiring the Future program has been working with AWS since the initial AWS Girls’ Tech Day in Australia in 2019. It’s great to see how the event continues to spark curiosity and interest in future learning and careers in STEAM among girls and young women. Our involvement in AWS Girls’ Tech Day is genuinely aligned with our organisation’s mission to empower the next generation to reach their full potential.”