What to Expect at the 2026 Power Up Summit
- Stephanie Somerville
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Dates: Tuesday 14th – Thursday 16th June 2026
Time: 2-3pm each day
What is the Power Up Summit?
The API Power Up Summit is designed to help undergraduate students better understand the power sector, prepare for career opportunities and feel more confident about their future in the industry.
Held online across three days, with each session running from 2-3pm, the summit brings together industry professionals, API alumni, scholarship recipients, students and early career engineers to share practical advice, real experiences and career insights.
Whether you are just starting to explore the power and energy sector, preparing for a vacation placement, choosing subjects, thinking about your final year project, or looking ahead to life after university, the summit has been designed to meet you where you are.
Day 1: Power Sector 101
The first day is all about helping students understand the industry and where they might fit.
The power sector is broad, complex and full of opportunity. From transmission and distribution networks to system operations, future energy, design, planning, field engineering, connections and emerging technologies, there are many different pathways available to engineering students.
Day 1 will include an introduction to the National Electricity Market, helping students build a stronger understanding of how the electricity system works and why it matters.
Students will also hear from API alumni in the Power Moves: Where Power Can Take You panel. This session will feature alumni working across different organisations, roles and states, including speakers from Transgrid, Wilson Transformer Company and Synergy. The panel will give students a chance to hear what career pathways can look like after university, and how different opportunities can lead to different destinations across the power sector.
Day 2: Getting Ready for Opportunity
Day 2 is focused on practical preparation. Students will learn more about API resources and the Power Up community, including scholarships, learning support, career resources and opportunities to connect with the industry. This session will help students understand how API can support them throughout their university journey and as they begin preparing for career opportunities.
The day will also explore what to expect from a vacation placement, with insights from Caleb Rodgers, an API Video Challenge winner and SAPN placement student. This session will help students understand what placements can involve, how to approach the experience and how to make the most of learning on the job.
Students will also hear from Stuart Purcival on subject selection and final year project selection. This is a valuable session for students thinking about how their academic choices can support their career goals and help them build relevant knowledge for the power sector.
Day 3: From Student to Professional
The final day is about confidence, leadership and connection.
Students will hear from Andriana Babic (Endeavour Energy) in a session on how personal leadership builds your professional life. This session will encourage students to think about the kind of professional they want to become, and how leadership can begin well before they step into a formal leadership role.
The day will also include a session on conference experiences with Jacinta Fitzgerald, exploring how students can get the most out of attending industry conferences, building networks and saying yes to development opportunities.
To close the summit, students will hear about life after university, ongoing learning and the value of professional networks through groups such as EESA and CIGRE NGN. This session will highlight that career development does not stop at graduation. Staying curious, connected and involved in the industry can open doors long after university ends.
Why attend?
The Power Up Summit is more than a series of webinars. It is a chance for students to hear honest advice from people who have been in their position, ask questions, learn about real career pathways and better understand the opportunities available through API and the wider power sector.
Attendees can expect practical tips, relatable stories and useful insights that will help them prepare for scholarships, placements, projects, graduate pathways and professional life.
By the end of the summit, students should walk away with a clearer understanding of the power sector, a stronger sense of where they might fit, and more confidence to take the next step in their career journey.
Comments