Rather than hanging out with friends in the winter holidays, more than 175 participants in Years 10 - 12 connected with industry leaders in business and discovered new career opportunities and pathways.
Empowering students to participate and thrive is at the heart of UNSW Business School’s mission. To inspire future leaders, foster inclusive opportunities, and connect female students with real-world business experiences, the school launched its Girls in Business Camp in 2019, with 25 participants across Years 10, 11 and 12 attending.
Eight years on, the camp has grown into one of the most sought-after school holiday activities for high schoolers. And with the opportunities and clarity it provides, it’s not surprising.
Demand | Participation | Impact |
300 Expressions of Interest | 190 Confirmed registrations | 14 Industry organisations engaged |
3 days to reach capacity | 175 Students completed the camp | 4 Days of immersive learning |
170 Students waitlisted | 92% Attendance rate | 1 Live Industry Case Challenge (CA ANZ) |
+18% EOI growth YOY | +68% Registration growth YOY | +62% Participation growth YOY |
Rhiannon Tout, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Project Officer at UNSW Business School, is the current custodian of the Girls in Business Camp since 2024, building on the legacy of previous EDI Officers Hannah Davis OLY’s and Seda Cokcetin’s achievements.
Rhiannon has been delighted to watch the program grow steadily over the years, but even she was stunned by the uptick in demand in 2026.
“We maxed out our expression of interest tickets in just 3 days,” she recalls.
“And the number of students who then attended nearly doubled compared to last year, and we had another 170 on the waitlist. One of the participants even flew in from Singapore to join us for the week. It clearly shows there’s a real need for programs like this beyond the outskirts of Sydney.”
Choosing what path to take after high school can feel daunting for students. Many at the camp felt the program gave them much-needed clarity and confidence about their career journey.
One Year 11 student found a new area of business she didn’t consider before: “It was really helpful because we got to pick a few areas we were leaning towards and engage in talks with current UG students and academics and visit industry partners at their offices. So now I know that I want to do economics rather than just actuarial studies alone.”
Another student realised her gut instinct about a career in commerce was right: “After the camp, I'm surer about doing commerce in the future, because I've learned so many different avenues for the career... I feel like I have more confidence now.”
Over four days, students got to learn from inspiring role models and connect with leaders from over 14 different industry partners: including Accenture, ANZ, NAB, IAG, the RBA and NSW Treasury and many more.
They learned that not all careers are linear; they can take different pathways to achieve their goals.
This helped take some of the pressure off, as one Year 10 student puts it: “Lots of the people I talked to didn't plan out to do business. One person did maths and science and now they're in a business field. That really surprised me, because you can choose one thing, but that doesn't always define you.”
University-style academic lectures and Q&A sessions with industry leaders also gave students clarity about the different pathways of getting to where they want to go.
“We heard from cadets who were completing internships with different organisations; UNSW students who were still attending university or had just graduated,” one Year 11 student shares.
“It made it a bit more of a relatable experience and I could see the steps these students are taking. They offered us the same mentorship program those students are doing now.”
With today’s rapidly changing workplaces, the camp’s theme, Future Ready Skills in an AI-Driven World, was undoubtedly a drawcard. But for many, visiting different offices was what really got them excited about the program.
“The industry site visits where we could go and visit firms and ask some questions and network really drew me in,” explained one Year 12 student.
These offsite visits took the students out of the classroom and into real-world work settings so they could see business careers in action.
“I went to ANZ and IAG,” says one Year 10 student. “Going to these companies helped me visualise what I want to do. I really enjoyed that whole finance and banking world. I think that may be the industry I want to go into.”
Beyond the connections, university-style learning experiences and site visits, students also got a taste of what it takes to solve a business problem – with a real client and real-world impact.
The participants received a genuine challenge from accounting professional body and UNSW industry partner, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ):
“How can CA ANZ help the next generation of professionals become AI-ready while preserving the human skills that make accountants trusted advisors?”
Drawing on everything they learned about the different disciplines of business – from accounting, finance and information systems to risk and actuarial – students developed their own solutions and pitched them to a panel of judges.
The case competition built their presentation and problem-solving skills and taught them how to break down a complex challenge collaboratively. The exercise took the participants’ experience beyond the classroom.
“Their perspectives on how they learn, use technology and make career decisions are incredibly valuable to CA ANZ,” says Vishwas Singh, chair of the New South Wales Young Chartered Accountants panel.
“Their ideas can help us understand how accounting is perceived today and how we can better communicate the opportunities that exist within the profession for the future.”
Closing the visibility gap
Having watched 3 consecutive cohorts attend the Girls in Business Camp (from 2024 – 2026), Rhiannon knows the difference the program can make in a girl’s future. And it’s what keeps her going and striving to improve the camp year after year for the next cohort.
“If through this program we can play a small part in shaping their confidence and career trajectory, or open their minds to learning something new, we have contributed to something much bigger,” she says, and UNSW Industry partners see it too.
“Sometimes students don't pursue a particular pathway simply because they haven't seen what it looks like in practice or haven't met people working in those fields,” says Vishwas. “Through this camp, we can help bridge that gap.”
For the future leaders who attended the camp over the past eight years, that gap has narrowed already.
Learn more about the Girls in Business Camp here.