The Australian Technology Network of Universities proudly presents the 2025 National Symposium on GenAI Graduate Skills and Employability, a free online event which will be streamed live on Friday, March 21 from 12:30pm – 4:00pm (AEDT).

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) becomes increasingly critical to the modern workplace, the ATN Symposium will examine the knowledge and skills expectations that many employers now have for this new and fast-growing technology.

The symposium is not your typical Gen AI forum, as it will provide comprehensive insights from across the GenAI ecosystem, including being facilitated by a team of one current student and one recent graduate of ATN universities.

Panels consisting of experts from across our institutions, industry, and professional and accrediting bodies, will debate how Australian higher education needs to adapt to ensure students are best equipped to meet the high expectations they face post-graduation and excel in work-life.

Be sure to join the ATN team and our guests as we navigate the issues facing this quickly emerging workforce and hear how we can prepare the graduates of tomorrow for the workforce of the future.

Who would find this event particularly interesting

Educators within Tertiary Education
Students and Graduates
Employers across small, medium and large enterprise
Professional and accrediting bodies

Program

Keynote

Speaker: Dr Michelle Perugini, Head of Commercialisation, UniSA and CEO UniSA Ventures
Dr Michelle Perugini is an entrepreneur and AI leader with deep expertise in healthcare. She has a PhD in Medicine, a decade of oncology research experience, and has founded two global AI tech companies—one acquired by EY in 2015.

As Co-Founder and former CEO of Presagen, she developed a Federated AI platform for medical data, with its flagship product, Life Whisperer, improving IVF outcomes before being acquired by Astec in 2024. Michelle is now Co-Founder and Board Chair of Qubigen, focusing on AI-driven drug design, and serves at UniSA as Head of Commercialisation and CEO of UniSA Ventures.

GenAI skills for the workplace – what’s needed, now and into the future

Panel Chair: Prof Marnie Hughes-Warrington AO, Provost and Chief Academic Officer, UniSA
Hear from our panel of employers as they share their insights on GenAI adoption within their businesses, their expectation of graduate capabilities, and the importance of knowing how to responsibly and ethically use this technology within the workplace.

Panel members:

Troy Tobin – Research & Development Supervisor, Rising Sun Pictures
Odile Shepherd – People & Culture Director, Wotton Kearney
Jane Adams – Executive General Manager HR (Partner Technology and Lead Group Learning and Skilling), Commonwealth Bank Australia
Amina Crooks PhD – Senior Manager, Customer Data & AI, Accenture

Showcase: Preparing GenAI-engaged professionals

Chair: Prof Sherman Young, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), RMIT University
Educators from across ATN universities will share examples of how they are preparing graduates for the next step in their GenAI-engaged career. Case studies will include innovative curriculum and work integrated learning, presented in a fast PechaKutcha-inspired format.

You'll hear from each of our ATN universities: Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, The University of Newcastle, University of South Australia (UniSA), and University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Check out our digital booklet of case studies on our event page on the ATN website.

GenAI's Impact on Accreditation and Professional Standards

Panel Chair: Prof Kylie Readman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students), UTS
Panel members from accrediting and professional bodies will share how they are navigating the impact of GenAI on the workplace, what the future is looking like, and what this means for the skills and capability building ecosystem.

Panel members:

Adam Awty – CEO, Law Institute of Victoria (LIV)
Kelly Kajewski – General Manager Strategic Learning Initiatives, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ)
Rachel Griffiths – Manager of Strategy and Policy, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
Jonathon Woolfrey – WA State President, Australian Human Resource Industry (AHRI)

Your hosts: Elena, Guillaume and Frank

Elena Scullen-Howe, Curtin University (Student, Bachelor of Laws, Curtin University)
Elena is currently studying towards her Bachelor of Laws at Curtin University, to pursue her passion in advocating for victims of gendered violence. She is proud to be a Julia Gillard Women in Leadership Scholar, a Humanitarian Affairs Peace Ambassador and to have been a finalist for TEDx Kings Park Youth last year. She is currently volunteering in a family violence community legal centre, helping those most vulnerable access legal protections, and she hopes to take her career down the same path.

Guillaume Leroux, UniSA (Graduate, Master of Health Sciences Management, UniSA)
Guillaume is a Certified Health Informatician (CHIA) and Paediatric Registered Nurse with over ten years of clinical experience across Canada and Australia. In 2019, he began transitioning into digital health by leading the Customer Success team for a digital health software vendor in Adelaide while pursuing his Master’s degree. Graduating in 2023 with Golden Key recognition for high academic achievement, he now serves as a Senior Consultant at Digivate Health.

Frank Coletta, Executive Director (Interim), ATN Universities
As ATN’s Executive Director (Interim), Frank is the champion for six of the most innovative and enterprising universities in Australia. Frank will be opening the event and handing over the reins to Elena and Guillaume to guide us through the panel and showcase segments.

The full program, including the official announcement of our panellists, will be revealed over the coming weeks.

Find out more about the Australian Technology Network of Universities at www.atn.edu.au

Contact the host of ATN National Symposium on GenAI Graduate Skills and Employability