Welcome and introduction to UNE

Rob: G'day and welcome to the National Virtual Expo. Thank you for joining me. I'm Rob Malicki on Garigal land in Sydney. I'm really excited about this session because just a couple of months ago I drove up from Sydney to the magnificent New England region to visit the University of New England. I hadn't been to the campus in, I want to say, fifteen years, and I didn't know what to expect. And I was utterly blown away by what this institution is doing. So really glad to be welcoming you to this session on the University of New England, and I'm really grateful to be joined today by Sarah from the UNE team. Great to see you, Sarah. Thanks for joining me at the National Virtual Expo.

Guest: Thanks for having me. What a great opportunity. And it's a magnificent time of year up in the New England region. I'm just looking out our window -- we've got beautiful gum trees all over campus and it's a beautiful, crisp autumn day today.

Rob: Awesome. Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you're watching along live, thank you for joining us. If you have questions, regardless of where you're watching, if you're on the session hub you can pop them in the chat and they'll come through to us. If you're watching on social media, put your question in the comments and they'll come straight through as well. I've also got some questions that came in via the survey we sent out before the expo, so we'll be getting to some of those. If you're watching on the recording, you can ask your questions via the Choosing Your Uni Discord -- details are in the session description below. And for parents, we have a Facebook community just for you, also in the description below. But with all those formalities out of the way, Sarah, I might pass over to you to introduce us to the University of New England.

Guest: Of course. Well, my name's Sarah. I'm the team leader of the Future Students team here at UNE. The Future Students team is a dedicated team to helping prospective students find their way to UNE, and I'm really glad to be presenting this session to you today. We're on deck to answer any questions you might have regarding what course is right for you, how you apply, how you get enrolled -- some really important information that I think will help a lot of you if you're thinking about UNE as an option.

UNE's history, location, and trimester system

Guest: Just to start out, a fun fact: UNE was established in 1938 by the University of Sydney, and we were the first university established outside a capital city. Located in the beautiful Armidale, New South Wales -- about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. We have on-campus, online, and hybrid study available, and that flexibility is something really popular with UNE. We're probably known for being an online university, but we have a really vibrant on-campus life as well.

Guest: Something unique about UNE is that we run off a trimester-based system. A lot of universities run off a traditional semester-based system with two study periods a year. We actually have three. That's really great for people who either want to condense their study into trimesters one and two and then take a break over the holiday period, space out their studies, or even fast-track their degree by picking up additional units over trimester three.

Guest: We're the only Australian public university to have been awarded the maximum five stars for overall experience twenty years in a row by the Good Universities Guide, and that's something we're really proud of. I think it comes down to the level of support we offer all of our students. We're also a regional university, so you've got access to your lecturers in smaller class sizes, easy access to lecture theatres, labs and facilities, a wide range of scholarships including academic, equity, and accommodation funds, and overall a lower cost of living in regional Australia.

Rob: Sarah, I might just jump in there on that Good Universities Guide rating. I want to point out just how extraordinary that five-star rating for overall experience is. Some people might be sceptical about rankings and ratings, and look, I'm sceptical too -- I've been in the industry too long. But what underpins that overall experience ranking is actually Australian government data from a survey series called the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching. That's feedback from real students. It's not the university paying for a result. That's an extraordinary result.

Rob: And I'd just like to spruik Australia's regional universities for a moment. Okay, some people just want to be in the big city -- that bustling, vibrant environment. Great. But I reckon there are so many people watching this for whom a regional university is just perfect: that lower cost of living, the more relaxed pace of life, the tighter community, the smaller class sizes, and -- I'm sure you'll get to this -- employment outcomes and starting salaries are better almost universally in the regions than they are in the cities.

Guest: I actually studied at UNE myself. I graduated from a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Criminology back in 2021. When I was in high school I had my sights set on the city, but kind of last minute I decided, you know what, I feel more comfortable in regional New South Wales. And it was honestly the best decision I've made. I've ended up moving to Armidale and I live here now.

Rob: And this is the thing -- I speak to thousands of students all across Australia, and the number of times I've heard that from people who've moved to the regions and had an amazing experience. Ladies and gentlemen, you need to go to the place that suits you best. You know yourself better than anyone else. If you feel like being in a high-pressure environment around huge numbers of people in a city isn't your thing, do the right thing, follow your intuition, and have a serious think about moving out to one of these amazing places in the country. Okay, I'm going to jump off the stage here and let you get back to it, Sarah.

Courses available at UNE

Guest: Also wanted to touch on what you can study at UNE. I think we probably have a bit of a name for nursing, education, and agriculture, but we actually offer so many different courses across a wide variety of faculties. We've got animals and agriculture, a fantastic business school covering things like finance, economics, business management, and marketing, earth and environmental studies, education and teaching -- and we actually offer everything from early childhood teaching, birth to five, all the way up to secondary teaching. We're very popular for health. We actually just had our on-campus open day last week, and health ended up being the most popular area of interest when we asked students to tell us what they wanted to study.

Guest: We also have a fantastic humanities and arts school, IT, data science, languages, linguistics and international studies, law and criminology, psychology and mental health, sciences, and social sciences. Really, we offer a wide variety of courses that potentially you didn't know we offered at UNE.

Rob: Can I jump in there? A question's just come in from the chat asking: how do I know if I'm eligible for my preferred course, and what if I'm not?

Guest: Great question -- it's probably the one we get asked most. We'd typically recommend going to what's called the UNE course handbook. If you Google "UNE handbook", it's literally the first link that pops up. From there you can search any of our courses and there'll be an entry requirements section. We break it down depending on where you're coming from -- whether you're a school leaver, coming from TAFE, or have professional experience.

Guest: The best way to find out if you're eligible is actually just to apply. You can apply for free direct to UNE, and it takes about one to two weeks to receive an outcome if you've finished Year 12. In the event that you're not quite yet eligible, we don't just turn you away. We actually try to find you the most suitable pathway into the course you're interested in so that you're well prepared by the time you're ready to study it, and often there's a little bit of credit transfer involved so you're not doing much, if any, additional study.

Rob: I love that. I know a lot of people here might have ATAR anxiety -- they're afraid they might just miss out. The fact that they can reach out and find other ways in is really important, because ladies and gentlemen, there is always another way into what you want to do. Even for the most competitive courses, if you want it, you can make it happen.

On-campus life, residential colleges, and cost of living

Guest: We're probably known as more of an online university because we're one of the universities that has been doing online education the longest, but we do have a really vibrant on-campus lifestyle. We have seven different accommodation options to choose from, and they all have their own unique sense of identity and community. If you're a little more independent and interested in apartment-style accommodation, we offer that. We also have your traditional residential colleges where you'll have a private room in more of a dorm situation with communal facilities.

Guest: It's also a very affordable option. Prices start from about $180 a week -- in this economy, that can be really helpful if you're going to be a student for a while. We have both catered and self-catered options, free amenities so you're not paying for Wi-Fi, water, electricity, or heating, which is really important in Armidale especially in winter. Colleges are also really close to classes and on-campus facilities -- one of the colleges is actually located on campus so you can literally walk to your classes.

Guest: It's just a really great opportunity to meet lifelong friends and enjoy fun events. I actually met my best friend at college, and also my husband. So some of the closest people in my life I met at college. There's also the opportunity to enjoy themed events and activities, study nights, sporting clubs, and intercollegiate competitions -- netball, rugby, kayaking is actually quite big here. Some of the colleges offer free membership to our on-campus gym, and one college has an annual musical, so if theatre is your thing there are options to explore that at college as well.

Rob: I want to pull up a number here. Ladies and gentlemen, $180 a week. In Sydney, some student accommodation can be like $800 a week. Even average rent in Sydney is well over $350. That money has to come from somewhere. For a lot of people, that difference in cost is the difference between having to work maybe five to ten hours a week versus having to work twenty or more hours a week to pay rent. Think about what that does for your lifestyle -- being able to commit that extra time to your studies or to getting involved in other activities. That to me is a massive reason why regional universities are absolutely worth a look.

Guest: And just on that, another really popular option -- because college might be a great experience for a year and then maybe you want a little more independence -- is moving out into a rental in town with friends you've met at college. If you're sharing the rent across a couple of people, there are lots of rental options in town, and you're still enjoying that much lower cost of living.

Rob: And a lot of unis are now starting to hone in on the on-campus student experience, but once again, this has been built into UNE's DNA since forever. It was literally built as the first university for the regions, for people from outside the big smoke. The university and the colleges know how to do this really well. It's not something that's come along in the last ten years -- this has been at the core of UNE for a long time.

Life in Armidale: lifestyle, community, and local culture

Guest: I want to touch on life in Armidale. It might not be a place you've considered, but I think there's a reason we were the first university outside a capital city -- it is just such a beautiful place. We're really well known for our four seasons. Beautiful sunny days in summer, blossoms around town in spring with beautiful pink trees across the streets, stunning autumn colours -- you'll see them if you search up Armidale -- and sometimes we get snow in winter. There are also beautiful national parks, waterfalls, and hiking trails around, lots of amazing local businesses, cafes, and restaurants, a winery, breweries, and farmers markets on the weekend.

Guest: There's also a lot of community events. We have lots of different festivals -- we've actually got a music festival happening next week, and UNE is a sponsor of that festival. We have a wonderful art museum here in Armidale, and it's just a really friendly and welcoming community. UNE often partners with different events in town, so it's a great opportunity to get involved and be part of the community.

Student support services, facilities, and clubs

Guest: I wanted to talk about why we've earned that five-star overall student experience rating, because while we're very grateful for it, we're not really surprised. We have really nailed the student experience and the support available to you.

Guest: If you lived on campus, you probably wouldn't need to go anywhere. We have our very own post office and UNE merchandise and textbook shop right on campus. You can rent a parcel locker and have all your deliveries come to the post office -- really convenient if you're living in college. The textbook shop is available for online students too, and if you're a UNE student you get a ten percent discount. The shop also facilitates buying and selling secondhand textbooks, which can help take some of the financial pressure off.

Guest: We also have our own on-campus gym, which is fully equipped with a brand new indoor pool and a rock climbing wall. Some of the colleges offer free membership to that, but even if yours doesn't, students still get a discount. There are lots of different cafes on campus, an on-campus hairdresser, and students get a ten percent discount on all of those services as well.

Rob: When I visited a couple of months back, the gym facilities are absolutely amazing. And I learned an interesting fact -- the University of New England has a scuba diving club.

Guest: We do! And they often practise in the pool. Getting out to Coffs Harbour is a couple of hours' drive and there's magnificent scuba diving out there. One of the colleges also has a kayaking club -- we have a dam here in Armidale where they practise. So if you've got a niche interest, I bet we'll have some sort of club or society for you.

Guest: We've also got our very own radio station called Tune FM that broadcasts across the New England region -- a great opportunity if you're interested in media and communications. We have a student accessibility and wellbeing office for students who need additional support, including those living with intellectual or physical disabilities, to make sure all accessibility needs are met. UNE students have access to psychological and counselling services as well.

Guest: There's the Oralla Indigenous Centre, which offers additional support for our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander students and a sense of community. We have our own healthcare centre, peer assisted study sessions (called PASS for short), access to free tutoring, and a careers team to help with resume writing, career planning, and networking. We also have a museum of antiquities and a natural history museum, and lots of different clubs and societies -- a gaming society, a law society, Farming Futures, and all different types of things depending on your interests. And for those on campus, there's a twenty-four-seven safety and security team.

Rob: There's a question that came through: what's a smart farm?

Guest: We actually have a couple of different properties around the New England -- I think they're within about five minutes of each other -- really used for research and agricultural students. SMART stands for Sustainable, Manageable, Accessible Rural Technologies. There are eight properties covering three thousand, six hundred and fifty-five hectares. If you're interested in agriculture, that's probably why we have such a name for ourselves in that field -- we actually have the land and resources to give you a really special experience.

Rob: And just to speak to agriculture for a moment -- maybe there are some people watching who haven't thought about it as a study area. Agriculture draws students from a wide range of disciplines, not just people who want to be farmers. If you're a scientist, if you're into ecology, business, logistics, transport, or engineering -- there are so many fields where you could set up a life for yourself with great employment outcomes and great salaries, working in one of the biggest industries in Australia. You don't have to just be a farmer; you can be all that peripheral work the industry actually needs.

Guest: We offer quite a wide variety of courses in this area. There's a Bachelor of Agribusiness if you're more interested in the business side -- it connects both worlds. I've had a lot of friends study in this area. Some are agronomists, some are in business management. It really is a very vast career pathway that, if you haven't thought of it, might be worth a look.

Online and hybrid study at UNE

Rob: There's a question that came in in advance of the session: do I have to attend campus at all if I'm studying online?

Guest: It depends on the course. Some courses are offered in a completely online capacity -- things that are more theory-focused, like law or counselling, where you don't necessarily have lab components or hands-on components. Usually you can study those completely online. For things like pharmacy, nursing, and science, where there's more of a hands-on component to satisfy your course requirements, we have what are called intensive schools. Those are short blocks of on-campus learning where you satisfy all hands-on requirements in one go. It's normally about once a trimester that you'll come to campus, within a two-week period, so you don't have to come back and forth all the time. You can stay on campus in our residential colleges for intensives, and the university runs activities, free lunches, and things like that. It's a really great opportunity to meet friends and get to know your lecturers when you're an online student.

Rob: As you said earlier, UNE was basically the first institution in the country to do not just online but distance education, and I think this is really important to point out. If you're thinking of doing online or hybrid studies, UNE has this built into the core of what it does. It hasn't just taken lectures that were delivered in person and slapped them up on an online platform. It's been literally developing this methodology, this architecture for delivering online and via distance for decades. So the level of quality you'll get in those online courses, in my view, is going to be higher than at some flashier-named universities in the big smoke, simply because this is built into the core of the institution.

Guest: And I can say from my own experience -- I studied both online and on campus. I started as an on-campus student and in my last year I transitioned to online, and the level of support I received was exactly the same. So if you're a little worried about feeling like you're on your own doing online study, you get access to all the same supports that an on-campus student has access to.

Scholarships, financial support, and how to apply

Guest: I also wanted to touch on scholarships, prizes, and awards. All of our undergraduate degrees, provided you're eligible, will be offered in a Commonwealth Supported Place, which means the government will subsidise at least part of your course -- in some fields, the majority of it. And you can, if eligible, defer your fees onto a HECS-HELP loan and start paying those back when you meet the income threshold. Being a student does involve some financial consideration, so we try to alleviate that stress as much as possible. We have a wide range of scholarships and awards -- not just for academic achievement, but things like equity and access, scholarships for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students, and scholarships if you're planning to live on campus. We have a dedicated scholarships team who can point you in the right direction.

Rob: Please apply for scholarships. Please. You would be stunned. I talk to unis and students all day, every day. The amount of money left on the table in unused scholarships in this country would blow your mind. Even if you think you're not some academic genius, there's money everywhere in little pockets for different things -- because of your background, your family history, what you're studying, prizes for all sorts of different things. Please, even if you think you're not someone who should be getting scholarships, have a look and apply, because so much opportunity is just being left on the table.

Guest: Absolutely. There are a couple of different ways to apply to UNE depending on what type of student you are, so I'll touch on the main three. First is applying direct to UNE -- not every university offers this, but at UNE you can apply directly through us completely for free. All you need to do is go to our website and there's a "how to apply" page that will direct you through to our portal. It's suitable for anyone, there are no fees involved, and we have what are called rolling outcomes. Rather than waiting for a round, our admissions team are constantly making assessments as soon as you submit your application -- it normally takes about one to two weeks. You can apply for up to three courses, and if you're eligible, you can receive offers for all three. This doesn't take away your ability to also apply through UAC or QTAC if you want to.

Guest: If you're in Year 12 right now, you can still apply direct to UNE, but your application will be placed on hold until ATARs are released. We'd actually steer Year 12 students more towards our early entry programme, which I'll go into shortly. But if you take one thing from this session, please apply for early entry. It's a no-brainer -- it allows you to receive an early outcome before you've even sat your HSC exams.

Rob: A quick question: can I change my course later on? If a student is admitted into one degree, can they switch?

Guest: Yes, and it happens more often than you think. A friend of mine started in law and realised she actually really wanted to be a teacher. In her second trimester she changed, and she's now a high school teacher. If you decide you want to change courses after you've started, give our team a call and we can help with the transfer process. You'd simply apply for the course you want to go into, and our admissions team will automatically look at the units you've already completed or are currently enrolled in and try to fit them into your new course -- as electives, or if you're in a similar field, as listed units. If you're not quite eligible for the new course, we'll find a pathway and help you get there.

Rob: And the other question was around interstate students. What if someone's watching from Queensland or Victoria and wants to apply for early entry? You mentioned the HSC, but we've got students watching with QCE and VCE.

Guest: Absolutely. As long as you're in Year 12, anyone from across Australia is eligible -- you don't even have to be receiving an ATAR. You can apply for early entry at UNE.

UNE Early Entry Programme explained

Guest: UNE Early Entry is a direct application, completely free. You just go to our early entry website and apply. It should only take about ten to fifteen minutes of your time. We have two offer rounds: round one is released in September -- before you've sat your exams -- and round two is released in November, before you've received your ATAR outcome. We'd recommend applying for round one. Round one applications are currently open, and if you apply before the seventeenth of July, you'll be considered for an offer before your final exams. It can really help take the pressure off.

Guest: You choose up to three preferences, and we have over fifty courses to choose from -- the full list is on our early entry page. It's open to all Year 12 applicants across Australia, even if you're not expecting to receive an ATAR. You don't have to apply through UAC or QTAC, but if you want both options, that's absolutely fine. You can also defer your course for up to twelve months -- the exception is the Bachelor of Nursing, which can't be deferred because it's quota-based. For all other courses, if you want to take a gap year or go and work for a year, just let us know and we'll hold it for you. We'll actually call you when the deferral period ends and help you with your next steps. Offers are also completely obligation-free, so you're not locked in -- you don't have to accept, and you're not automatically enrolled.

Rob: This is such a great option. And look, I'll call it -- people can't be dismissing early offers. The idea that early offers are somehow degrading the uni entry process is a load of rubbish. People going through their final school exams need less pressure, not more. If we can take a little bit of that anxiety about the future away, how is that not a good thing? It doesn't mean people are suddenly going to bludge off because they've applied for early entry. And I just want to emphasise the deferral point -- you can apply for early entry, have an offer, do your HSC, and then make up your mind to take a year out, explore what you're interested in, do an internship, go travelling, work, and that offer is still sitting there for you. Whether it's UNE or another institution, if the opportunity is there, why would you not do it?

Guest: And I'd say: apply for all three preferences. If you're not sure, having three different options sitting there is really great, and you can defer all three offers you receive. You would be surprised how many people start at another university or go off to a job and then call us back a year later saying they had an early entry offer but didn't do anything with it. I would just recommend deferring those offers -- if you don't want to take them up, you don't have to, but they're sitting there if you change your mind.

Guest: Here's how you apply. It's super simple: create an account -- use a personal email, not your school email, because schools often deactivate student emails after you finish -- start an application, enter some personal details, and choose your three courses. Definitely choose all three, even if you think you're only interested in one. Then enter your education details, let us know what school you're attending, and submit. UNE takes care of the rest. We contact your school and look at your Year 11 results. If you feel like you haven't done well in Year 11, don't panic -- we also take non-academic attributes into consideration. We ask your school to tell us about those, and you can also include whether you're a school captain or have extracurricular activities that could support your application. Any educational disadvantage will also be taken into account. If you're not quite eligible for your preferences, we'll automatically find you the best pathway. All you need to do is submit your application.

Graduate employment outcomes and study flexibility

Rob: One of the things I wanted to hone in on: graduate employment. You're going to uni, you want a job on the other side. Eighty-seven point three percent of UNE graduates found full-time employment within four months of finishing their degree, compared to a national average of seventy-seven percent. That's a ten percentage point difference -- an enormous gap. Why do you think that is?

Guest: I think it comes down to all of the support, but there's also a lot of networking opportunities UNE is involved with. We have a great event called Farming Futures, for instance, where you can network with industry experts if agriculture is the field you're wanting to get into. There are lots of different touch points throughout your degree that put you in contact with people in the field you're heading into. Our dedicated careers team helps with career planning, resume writing, and that all contributes to those graduate outcomes.

Rob: A question's come through: can I change between full-time and part-time, or between online and on campus?

Guest: Absolutely, and things change. I was part of the cohort when COVID happened, so I had to go online. Things happen -- you might get a job in the field you're wanting to go into while you're studying, which might require you to drop down to part-time. That's the beauty of UNE: we're really flexible because we've been doing this for so long. We know that the student journey isn't linear, and we try to tailor it to what you need and meet you where you're at. If you start full-time and want to drop back, you can give us a call. Once you're a current student, you'll be supported by our current students team, who can help you tailor your course plan, pick units, and drop back or step up your study load. Online versus on campus is the same -- if at any point you want to change and your course is offered on campus, just let us know and we'll change that over for you.

UNE's AI programme and preparing students for the future workforce

Rob: Another thing I'd love to hone in on -- and this was maybe the thing that shocked me most when I was on campus -- is the AI space. The world of work is changing really fast, and there is not an industry on the planet that isn't being impacted in some way by AI or robotics. I got to talk to Aaron Driver, who is doing a bunch of sessions with me at this expo. If you're interested in how AI is impacting work, how to use it to study better, or if you're a parent who wants to understand how to support your kids with this new technology, we have a whole session called AI Fundamentals for Parents. Please come and join us. But can you talk to what UNE is doing in that space, Sarah?

Guest: It's really exciting. We have a department called Lab Next, and through that we've got our very own UNE AI platform. It's completely secure and safe through UNE. We don't just let you run free with AI -- we teach you how to use it. If you haven't used it before, it can be a little overwhelming to know how to actually maximise it. We have training for you. Our platform is called Magic, and there's a lot you can do with it. We have our own specialised team and we're doing a lot of exciting things in that space. Part of the future is just embracing it.

Rob: And I think this is the thing that stunned me -- and maybe I shouldn't have been stunned, because UNE was the first to really do distance education properly, and then online education. It was already at the leading edge. It didn't take COVID to come along for UNE to scramble to put everything online. So it should be no surprise that UNE is leading the charge with this new technology. And I'll be very honest: some institutions are really lagging on this. They're not embracing it as much as they need to, not putting it into the hands of students as much as they should. You can't resist the change -- the technology doesn't care how you feel. It's coming.

Guest: And we make sure you're not going into it blindly. As a student it can feel uncertain -- where does the line end? How much can I use AI? We've taken that into consideration, and each of your units will have a structure around it. Part of your assessments, you'll be able to use AI -- for things like prompts or rewording assignments to make sure you're hitting all the points you need to hit. And then there'll be what are called assurance tasks, which is really up to how your individual unit coordinators want to run things. So you know what you're allowed to do and you're not going in blind. All of that's taken into consideration.

Rob: This is what every university needs to be doing, and UNE is at the leading edge. I'm hanging my hat on this quite literally. Based on this alone, UNE is worth a look. Having the skills and experience to use AI at a cutting-edge level is such a selective advantage going into the workforce -- regardless of what field you're looking at. I believe absolutely that you should look at UNE on the basis of that, if nothing else. And I take it with a grain of salt because I work in this space and I'm genuinely up to speed with this stuff -- that is a serious recommendation, and I haven't been paid to say it.

Guest: I'm really proud to be part of hearing all of these different innovations coming through for a regional university. We're leading the charge, and it's great that we're making sure everyone has access to AI but also knows how to use it and feels comfortable with it. You'll come out with skills in AI even if that's not really what your field is in.

Rob: And that's the key, isn't it? You might be in nursing, or teaching, or humanities, or creative fields -- this technology is coming to all of them whether you like it or not. Understanding it really is one of the most important things for the workforce of the future. Hats off.

How to contact the UNE Future Students team

Rob: Well, Sarah, this has been a lovely conversation and presentation. Thank you so much for joining me at the National Virtual Expo. Can you just re-emphasise one more time for people watching how they can find out more about UNE and get in touch?

Guest: Of course. Your go-to will be the Future Students team -- we can answer any questions you have. Some people call up and all they have is, "I think I want to go to university but I don't know what I want to study." We can help with that. If you've got a particular career in mind, we can help you find the right course, talk you through which entry pathway is best for you, and how to apply. We're open on business days, Monday through to Friday. If you'd like to give us a call, our number is 1800 818 865 -- it's a free call and the line is open 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also submit general student inquiries through "Ask UNE". We have a dedicated early entry team if you've got an early entry related question. And we have a live chat service accessible through our website -- and we are real people. We often get asked "am I speaking to a robot?" when someone comes through live chat. Even though we are using a lot of AI, you actually are talking to Future Students staff members.

Rob: Sarah, thank you so much for joining me at the National Virtual Expo.

Guest: Thank you so much for having me.

Rob: If you're watching on the recording, all the details for what Sarah's been talking about are in the session description below -- links to the application page, scholarships, the course catalogue, and everything like that. Sessions are running all throughout the week, including those ones I mentioned around AI and how it's impacting the workforce, and AI Fundamentals for Parents. And all sessions, if you can't make them live, are available on demand for the next two weeks. It's been awesome having you here at the National Virtual Expo. I'm Rob Malicki -- have yourself a wonderful evening and I'll see you at the next session.