Green Skills Youth Conference for Schools & Colleges

Supported by the West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, Chester Zoo and The Pledge Partnership, the 2026 Green Skills Youth Conference is held during Green Careers Week. The event is FREE to attend. Schools and colleges will be invoiced £250 per booking, refunded on attendance by the school or college a few days after the event.

The Youth Conference is based on discussion, debate and collective problem-solving. We want young people from across the region to see their place in a sustainable, Net Zero future here. Students from secondary schools, colleges and further education, typically Year 9 and above, are invited to design the futures they want to see for the region, including the roles they want to and could play through future career choices involving but not limited to STEM subjects. 

The focus for the morning is workshop games on how we can all tackle the climate and nature emergencies, the decarbonisation challenge and conservation. Topics covered include energy, conservation and fashion.  Education materials have been developed and tested by ChesterCAN (Chester Climate Action Network), Chester Zoo and the University of Chester. There will be sessions on careers in the early afternoon with Q&A panel speakers from sponsoring companies, then a careers fair where students can ask and learn from up to 20 organisations about green skills and jobs.

ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED

This year, the event is benefitting from a partnership with West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce, and the further involvement of Chester Zoo, YouthFed, The Pledge and Enterprise Cheshire + Warrington. 

Previous sponsors of the event have been EA Technology, EET Hydrogen, Encirc, MCC Digital, NatWest, Peel NRE, SP Energy and Storengy. Previous, additional Careers Fair attendees and supporters; Cheshire College South & West, Chester Zoo, EET Hydrogen, Enterprise Cheshire & Warrington, Land Studio UK, RSK Group, The Pledge and University of Chester.

BACKGROUND

The requirement for green skills in the North West and Wales is expected to double from 20,000 to 40,000 over the next 4 years. Green vacancies worldwide grew almost twice as fast as the share of people possessing green skills in 2025. Over 60,500 new jobs* will be created in the North West by 2050 to help the UK achieve Net Zero. This shift will help sustain 660,000 jobs# in the Net Zero economy, the largest number of all the UK regions*. These jobs need applicants with the knowledge and skills to be able to collaborate across a range of backgrounds – from STEM subjects to the arts, humanities and social sciences – drawing on a shared commitment to creating a more sustainable future. The Green Expo Youth Conference helps inspire, empower and enable young people who want to play a key part in that transition.

DETAILS

Lunch is not provided, attendees are asked to bring packed lunches with them. There is plenty of free parking at the venue. Unlike previous years, places are unlimited for UK based schools, colleges and home schooled students. All students need to be supervised in a suitable ratio. Risk assessments etc. will be sent to you after booking. You are welcome to encourage parent pickup from the venue until 4pm. Any further questions? Please email the event organiser.

To book, please complete the form below with supervisors name, role, email and place of education, roughly how many students attending and of which year group. Home educated students are welcome.