Encourage female and gender diverse students to discover new passions, rewarding pathways and well-paid career opportunities through Trade and Tech Fit.
Get involved with Trade and Tech Fit in 2026
The expo will be back in 2026 with even more interactive activities, information and workshops from across a wide range of industries.
Bring students to next year’s expo
Take the first step in helping your school's female and gender diverse students consider a whole new range of potential skills, pathways and careers with Trade and Tech Fit.
Email the event manager for further information on the 2026 event: school.industry.event@education.vic.gov.au
A great opportunity to make every student feel like there is a pathway for success.
Interested in exhibiting?
Meet your future workforce and shape your industry at Trade and Tech Fit 2026.
Help shape the future of vocational work and showcase rewarding careers in your industry by bringing your expert knowledge to next year’s expo.
Spaces are limited. No fees charged for exhibiting.
To be included on the 2026 interested exhibitor mailing list, email the event manager: school.industry.event@education.vic.gov.au
The love and admiration the presenters had for their jobs made the expo great ... all the expo needs is more passionate people like today.
Female student cutting wood with saw
Female students practicing woodwork hammering nails into wood
Female student laying bricks in tutorial
Lamb birthing simulator demonstration with agriculture professional
Female students with Your World, Your VCE merchandise
Female student drilling into wood with the support of an industry professional
Two female students helping each other run cable through a wooden house frame
Female student using a wrench in a supervised demonstration with a truck engine
Female student participating in a paint by numbers activity on a communal canvas
Female students posing with a female tradesperson on an excavator
Female students holding an artificial lamb from the birthing demonstration
Female student using a virtual reality simulator with the supervision of a female member of the defence force
2025 expo wrap-up
When: 3-4 June 2025
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Exhibitors: 97 stalls from across industry, education and government including interactive activities and competitions
Attendees: Over 3,700 female and gender diverse students from more than 140 schools
The expo created a safe, inclusive and equitable space where female and gender diverse people were able to interact directly with tradespeople, apprentices and industry professionals. This provided a deep dive into a broad range of career pathways through unique and exciting exhibits and stalls.
This year saw the greatest number of visitors since the event began, with 18 new exhibitors bringing even more skills and pathways to light.
In 2025, 56% of student attendees said they are now more likely to consider a career in trade or tech, with another 42% saying they might.
85% of student attendees said booths and displays were informative and easy to understand.
Getting involved in hands-on tasks made things more interesting and helped me understand how tech and trade work in real life.
For the first time, the expo also opened its doors to the public, welcoming students attending with parents as well as adult women and gender diverse individuals from all backgrounds.
Check out the highlights of the day below:
Industries in focus
Expert knowledge and experience from across trades and tech sectors was on show, letting students gain insight into jobs they may have never considered previously and explore what pathways are available to take them there.
To get a real taste for the kind of work the industry involves, attendees had the chance to participate in some engaging and challenging activities such as:
- Virtual reality experience workshops
- Building your own wooden stool
- Lamb birthing simulators
- Creative and industrial design stations
- Bricklaying tutorials
- Locksmithing lessons
- Excavator operation simulators
- Painting sessions
- Guided house frame construction
- House wiring demonstrations
Almost 100 exhibitors showcased exciting careers in traditionally male-dominated industries, including:
- Building, construction, manufacturing & engineering
- Refrigeration, electrical & plumbing
- Automotive, marine, aviation & aerospace
- Solar & wind clean energy
- Foundry and mining
- Transport and logistics
- Agriculture & horticulture
- Gaming, cloud & robotics
- Civil assets management & infrastructure
- Defence, essential services & fire protection
Thank you to all exhibitors and students for bringing your passion to make this the biggest and best Trade and Tech Fit yet.
Email: school.industry.event@education.vic.gov.au
Empowering all Victorian students to pursue their goals
The Victorian Government is rolling out reforms that are building the aspirations and skills of young people, so that their secondary schooling sets them up for future careers and meets the needs of the modern economy.
For more information on Senior Secondary Schooling Pathway Reforms, visit Senior secondary schooling pathway reforms.
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