Men of Business Tech Taster 2025 Brings Gold Coast Leaders into the Classroom

On the Gold Coast, a unique organisation is helping young men take a different path toward a career. Many of these students are heading into trades, and most don’t have access to the technology or support at home to build their digital skills. As the saying goes, “We don’t know what we don’t know,” which is why programs like this are so important—they help make sure future tech workers don’t get left behind.

Dean Ellis, Rec4Tech Recruiting

Men of Business (MOB) Academy, located in Southport Mall just a short walk from the Broadwater, was founded in 2020 to support at-risk youth and help them build a positive future. MOB joined the ACS ICT Gateway to Industry Schools Project (GISP) in 2022. Since then, under the leadership of founder Marco Renai (2024 Australian of the Year for Queensland), the academy has received strong support from the southeast Queensland tech community, including ACS members and the GISP team.

The MOB Tech Taster program has just wrapped up its third year. Over eight weeks in Term 2, students took part in hands-on tech experiences led by tech professionals and companies from South East Queensland.

Nathan Antonik, Head of Pathways at MOB, has been a driving force behind the program and is excited to keep growing it. He shared some powerful words with the people who helped deliver the sessions: 

‘Your time, energy, and expertise made a lasting impact on our young men - many of whom experienced hands-on exposure to the tech industry for the first time. Your willingness to volunteer, share your knowledge, and engage meaningfully helped open doors, spark curiosity, and inspire future pathways in technology.’

How does the program work? 

Tech professionals design and run 2-hour sessions based on their area of expertise. These sessions might involve hands-on activities like coding, immersive experiences like Virtual or Augmented Reality, or even excursions to exciting workplaces.

Trade Tasters have been used in the VET world for many years. Four students from this year’s Tech Taster have enrolled in the ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (DIT) thorough Kirra Services and the Australian Computer Society.

In three successive years, MOB have been supported by ACS, employees, members and leaders including.

This year, the sessions focused on:

  • Free-roaming Virtual Reality at Zero Latency
  • Games Development
  • Drone Flying
  • Cyber Security insights and skills training at TAFE Coomera
  • Robotics
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Entrepreneurship with Sharon Hunneybell (2023 WiT Award Winner) and Mat Eames
  • Audio Visual
  • Python Coding in games

In 2025, the following tech leaders provided their time and expertise to inspire the MOB students:

  • Beau Tydd (past Qld BEC chair)
  • Mat Eames, Protech (past Gold Coast Chapter Chair, current Qld BEC Chair)
  • Paul Walters, Ever Nimble (current Gold Coast Chapter Chair)
  • Zoe McNeany, 3D Environment Artist
  • David Rudduck, formerly of Solis Security (Gold Coast Chapter member)
  • Debby Lo Dean, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, E M Tech Consulting
  • Aaron Bell, General Manager, Remote Data Technologies at KJR
  • Pablo Farias, CEO and Founder of Zenva Academy (ACS member)
  • Simon Costello – Tech Professional (Gold Coast Chapter member)
  • Dean Ellis, Director of Technology Recruitment, Rec4Tech (Gold Coast Chapter member)
  • Sharon Hunneybell, Co-Founder and Board Member at The Gold Coast Innovation Hub
  • Matthew Jorgensen, Education Pathways and Partnerships Manager at ACS
  • Adam Stacey, Co-Founder at Micromelon
  • Karen Graham, formerly of QLD TAFE, Coomera Creative
  • Chris Haigh, CISO at Mercury IT

Find out more about the ACS ICT50220 Diploma of Information Technology (DIT) 

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