TAFE Queensland showcases REFF innovation at Australia’s largest skills competition

Held alongside the Brisbane Careers and Employment Expo at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from 12 to 14 June 2025, the event is Australia’s largest and most successful skills competition and attracted more than 35,000 spectators, over 600 competitors, 300 judges and 200 volunteers.

Exhibiting at the Department of Trade, Employment and Training (DTET) pavilion, TAFE Queensland unveiled cutting-edge Extended Reality (XR) technologies—Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR)—that will power the upcoming XR Hubs at TAFE Queensland campuses across the state.

These immersive technologies are not just futuristic novelties; they represent a transformative leap in how students and educators engage with complex, high-risk, and resource-intensive training scenarios.

From simulating electric vehicle collisions for first responders to reducing the reliance on physical materials like timber in construction training, XR offers safe, cost-effective, and deeply engaging learning experiences.

Spectators to the event witnessed firsthand how this technology can revolutionise traditional education through virtual field trips, collaborative tasks, and experiential simulations.

Exhibiting at the event clearly demonstrated TAFE Queensland’s commitment to innovation and its pivotal role in supporting Queensland’s economic future.

With the backing of the Queensland Government’s Regional Economic Future Fund (REFF), a number of XR Hubs will be launched in 2025 at campuses including Kingaroy, Toowoomba, Mt Isa, and others.

These hubs will serve as shared, pre-configured spaces enabling the development of bespoke XR experiences tailored to the renewable energy sector—a key growth area for Queensland.

These experiences will be delivered not only at XR Hubs in the REFF regions but also via the Mobile Renewable Energy Training Facility (MRETF), to further reach remote communities including Cloncurry, Banana Shire, and Goondiwindi.

TAFE Queensland’s forward-thinking approach will ensure that students across a variety of industry sectors are equipped with the skills needed for tomorrow’s workforce.

By embracing XR technologies, TAFE Queensland is not just preparing students for jobs—it is preparing them for the future of work, driving prosperity and sustainability across the state.