EMPOWERING WOMEN,
PROGRESSING INDUSTRY.
Dream Big Australia is a charity dedicated to empowering women to dream and succeed. We partner with industry organisations to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), offering career development, mentoring and opportunities that drive engagement, participation, and aspiration, creating more pathways for women to progress into underrepresented professions and lead across industries.
OUR APPROACH.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT.
We provide the STEAM Ahead Program, a free career development experience to help women increase their capabilities, confidence and employability skills, amplifying aspirations to reach their fullest potential.
ENGAGEMENT.
We help women connect with peers, mentors, and employers through forums, events, AI mentor matching, and role models, increasing engagement, participation and aspirations in underrepresented industries.
EMPLOYMENT.
Our community platform enables women to connect with potential employers offering access to early-career employment opportunities, enabling professional pathways to success in underrepresented industries.
IN PROUD PARTNERSHIP WITH
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
IN-KIND PARTNERS
INCREASING REPRESENTATION.
Dream Big began in 2014 when our Managing Director and Founder, Jessica Kahl – then, a second-year engineering student – observed a concerning trend: the decreasing number of women in her engineering courses. This sparked her passion for driving greater representation and diversity in industry.
This experience inspired Jessica to start ‘Dream Big’ to create opportunities for women to amplify their aspirations by dreaming big. She sees the concept of "dreaming big" inherently involving aspiration—seeing yourself in a place you want to be, believing you can achieve it, and setting bold goals, even in fields where you may not currently see yourself represented.
OUR PROGRAM.
We provide a career development experience that focuses on increasing confidence, capability, and employability skills for women. Through the program, participants connect with peers, mentors, and employers via forums, events, and AI mentor matching, fostering a community dedicated to boosting engagement, participation, and representation of women. By enabling access to professional pathways, the program opens doors to success in underrepresented industries, contributing to a more inclusive and innovative world.
EMPOWERING WOMEN.
Our STEAM Ahead program enhances capability, confidence, and employability skills, offered annually at no cost to participants via our digital platform to help women reach their fullest potential.
PROGRESSING INDUSTRY.
Our community platform enables women to connect with potential employers offering access to early-career opportunities, enabling professional pathways to success in underrepresented industries.
“The STEAM Ahead Program was quite a pivotal point in my professional life. Entering the program, I could have never imagined the skills, opportunities and confidence I would gain and how that would propel me in my career. Not only did I gain employment through the program, I was exposed to numerous industry partners and professionals.”
Lucy
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering & B. Chemical Science
OUR IMPACT.
Since 2015, our STEAM Ahead program has delivered career development to over 100 women annually, with 96% of participants open to employment opportunities and 84% willing to work in rural, remote, or regional locations.
Recognised with awards like the LearnX Gold for Best Learning Model: Blended and a High Commendation under the Engineers Australia Gender Diversity Awards, we empower women and other gender-diverse individuals from underrepresented backgrounds to build confidence, aspirations, and career opportunities. Most of our community—51%—are studying STEM disciplines, with 41% bringing previous STEM industry experience.
Learn more about our impact in our Annual Reports.
EMPOWERING WOMEN,
PROGRESSING INDUSTRY.
Together, we can drive greater representation and diversity in industry.