By ANNA USHER

Local high school students will get their hands on real quantum technology at The Concourse Chatswood next week, at a free careers day built around one blunt question: are there actually jobs in quantum?

The answer, according to the Sydney Quantum Academy, is a growing yes. Its Quantum Future Talent: From Curiosity to Career event runs on Tuesday 18 August, 10am to 2pm, at Chatswood’s own civic venue on Victoria Ave.

It is aimed squarely at students in Years 8 to 12, with parents, teachers and career advisers welcome too. Entry is free, but you need to book.

Quantum is the science of the very small, and it is quietly reshaping computing and cybersecurity. The day is pitched as a plain-English way in, with no physics degree required.

Students will hear directly from people who do this for a living, get a straight read on study options, and try interactive demos including quantum devices and VR experiences.

There is a low-tech side too. Presenters use skipping ropes and giant balls to explain the science, turning some of the hardest ideas in physics into something you can see across a room.

Four universities under one roof

The pull for local families is the access. Students can talk study pathways with four NSW universities in the one room: Macquarie, UNSW, the University of Sydney and UTS.

For a Willoughby household weighing up subjects and ATARs, that is four campus open days folded into a single afternoon in Chatswood, minus the travel.

The event is run by the Sydney Quantum Academy, a partnership between those universities, and led by its director Professor Peter Turner. It lands in the middle of National Science Week.

The Concourse sits in the heart of Chatswood, a short walk from the station and the interchange, so it is an easy run for schools across Willoughby, North Sydney and Mosman.

Quantum jobs are not science fiction. Australian firms are already hiring in the field, and the universities behind this day are building the courses to feed them. For a student picking Year 11 subjects right now, a free morning in Chatswood is a cheap look at where it could lead.

The details

• What: Quantum Future Talent: From Curiosity to Career
• Where: The Concourse, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood
• When: Tuesday 18 August, 10am to 2pm
• Cost: Free, bookings required
• Who: Years 8 to 12, plus parents, teachers and career advisers
• Book: schools register through the Sydney Quantum Academy school form; general public book through the event’s ticket page HERE.