Queensland EPC 2025 Wrap-Up

The Queensland Emerging Professional Committee (EPC) works to represent the interests of ACS’s emerging professional members, from students to graduates to those in the early stages of their tech career. Hear from EPC Vice Chair Pavel Zemnukhov below about the success of their program in 2025:

2025 has been an incredibly active and successful year. We delivered multiple engaging and well-attended events for students and emerging professionals, while also maintaining a strong, collaborative and motivated committee culture.

In addition to our public-facing events, we placed a strong emphasis on internal connection and team cohesion. Across the year, we organised several team-bonding activities, including a joint EPC and BEC hike organised by Zolzaya, as well as bowling and informal social gatherings. These activities strengthened relationships across committees and contributed to a highly engaged team where everyone actively played their part.

Key events for 2025 included:

Digital Dreamers: Discovering Career Pathways
This was a standout event for me personally and one I would strongly highlight. We invited approximately 15 industry representatives across a wide range of technology roles and had a room full of students and emerging professionals. Attendees were able to engage directly with professionals, hear authentic career stories, ask questions, and gain clarity on different career pathways. The level of interaction and energy in the room made this a highly valuable and inspiring event.

AI in Action: How Can You Make AI Work for You?
A practical and accessible session focused on real-world applications of AI, helping emerging professionals understand how AI tools can be effectively used in their day-to-day roles and how these technologies are shaping the future of work.

ACS QLD EPC Presents: Screw Up Stories
Screw Up Stories was an evening centred on honesty, resilience and growth. Industry leaders shared personal experiences of career setbacks, missteps and the lessons learned from them. The event reframed failure not as something to fear, but as an inevitable and valuable part of professional development.

Supanova - ACS Level Up Sessions
Beyond our own events, ACS QLD EPC members were actively involved in supporting ACS sessions at Supanova across multiple Level Up talks. I spoke at one of the ACS Level Up sessions, sharing my own career journey and experiences, while other EPC members, including Zolzaya, Sayand, Jonathan, Kim and Ziya, contributed as speakers across different sessions throughout the event. This broader involvement helped represent ACS and the EPC across multiple audiences at a large-scale public event.

Thanks to Pavel for his words and to the entire EPC, led by Chair Jonathan Nelson, for an amazing year in 2025! In Pavel’s words "Bringing together industry representatives and a room full of emerging professionals created genuine conversations, inspiration and clarity around career pathways. It clearly demonstrated the impact that connection and shared experiences can have early in a career."

Here's to a successful 2026 for the EPC! If you’d like to keep up to date on what the EPC are up to, follow the ACS QLD page here.