CareerQuip 2026
Thursday 30 July 2026
CareerQuip 2026 returned to Taree on Thursday 30 July, bringing together the Mid Coast's brightest young minds with the region's leading education providers, employers and community organisations for another standout instalment of the region's premier careers expo.
Hosted once again at TAFE Taree Campus, the event built on the strong foundations of recent years, drawing approximately 1,200 students from 23 learning institutes across the Mid Coast — travelling from as far afield as Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Bulahdelah to engage with the breadth of opportunities available close to home.
With over 75 exhibitors filling the venue, the expo offered an impressive and diverse showcase of future pathways. Representatives from universities — including the University of New England, the University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney, UTS, University of Newcastle, University of Tasmania, Macquarie University, Charles Sturt University, Australian National University, Bond University, and Southern Cross University — sat alongside an extensive range of TAFE disciplines, from agribusiness and animal care to renewable energy and civil engineering. Local employers and community organisations were out in force too, with Manning Base Hospital, Essential Energy, MidCoast Council, the Australian Defence Force, Aruma Disability Services, Engineers Australia, Dairy Australia, and many more demonstrating the depth and variety of careers available right here in the region.
Feedback from exhibitors was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting on how highly engaged the students were — eager to ask thoughtful questions and genuinely curious to discover local opportunities they may not have known existed. That level of engagement speaks to how successfully CareerQuip has been building year on year to become a highly anticipated meeting point between education providers, employers, and the future workforce and innovators of our region.
The event's continued success would not have been possible without the generous support of TAFE NSW as venue host, and the ongoing commitment of key sponsors and partners, including Mid Coast Connect, REIP NSW, JR Richards, MaxFM, Men And Women At Work and Insure More @, and the many local businesses and community organisations whose backing makes CareerQuip possible year after year.
Taree Universities Campus — the team behind this event — extends its heartfelt thanks to TAFE, to all sponsors and exhibitors, and to every school that brought students along. CareerQuip 2026 was a powerful reminder of what's possible when a community comes together around a shared belief: that everyone can go further, close to home.
