with event host Louise Azzopardi at Fowler Future fest
The Steering the Future mobile exhibition has helped bring transport and heavy vehicle career pathways to life for hundreds of students at the inaugural Fowler Future Fest.
Held at Fairfield Showground in Western Sydney on Thursday 14 May, the event was founded and supported by Dai Le MP, Federal Member for Fowler, in partnership with Fairfield City Council, to showcase future career opportunities for schools across the local electorate.
The event was designed with the local community, particularly the culturally diverse and migrant communities across the area, firmly in mind.
Industry ambassador Louise Azzopardi, who hosted the careers component of The Depot at Truck Week 2025, was also part of the day, helping connect students with real people and real stories from across industry.
Louise said the aim was to make sure students could see pathways represented in a way that felt relevant to them.
“We really tried to represent people that look like them,” Louise said.
The event included panel discussions, hosted by Louise, featuring people from a range of professional and trade backgrounds, followed by a large careers expo with around 80 exhibitors.
Transport and heavy vehicle careers were represented through Steering the Future, Cummins and other industry participants, alongside organisations from sectors including police, defence, legal, real estate and community services.
Around 800 Year 12 students attended, with Louise noting strong engagement across the day.
“They all seemed to really enjoy it,” she said. “They engaged a lot with all the different exhibitors.”
Students also took part in a passport-style activity, collecting signatures from exhibitors as they moved through the expo to go into a prize draw – an approach Louise said drew inspiration from other career events, including The Depot.
For Truck Week, Fowler Future Fest was another strong example of industry stepping outside its usual settings to meet young people where they are, showing them the breadth of pathways available across transport, logistics and the broader heavy vehicle sector.
By bringing together community leadership, schools, industry exhibitors and ambassadors like Louise, the event helped showcase the people, skills and opportunities that will keep Australia moving into the future.