A Decade of Careers Education: Reflecting, Evolving, and Building a Meaningful Future

Sign-ups are now closed

Thank you for your interest in attending the conference. We’ve had to close registrations to finalise catering and logistics.
However, if you're still interested in attending, please email us at sophie.blything@westofengland-ca.gov.uk — we’ll do our best to accommodate you if possible.

Take your careers programme to the next level at this hands-on, expert-led conference.

Join careers professionals for practical workshops that will help you enhance employer connections, improve student support, and stay ahead of emerging trends. Leave with actionable strategies, new skills, and fresh ideas to make a real impact on your careers provision and boost student career readiness.

By attending this conference, you will:

• Design a clear, progressive careers journey with strong learning outcomes.

• Build confidence to create employer-led experiences and strategic partnerships that add real value.

• Learn how to empower teachers to embed careers across the curriculum.

• Use storytelling and engagement to raise aspirations and strengthen your programme.

• Explore the latest trends in guidance, including AI, triage, and inclusive practice.

Organised by the West of England Careers Hub at SGS Wise Campus, New Road, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8LP.

Thursday 10th July, 8:45am - 3:30pm.

Opening talks:  Lesley Thain, Head of Education Policy & Practice at CEC and previously Head of Careers Programmes at the Gatsby Foundation and Dan Heffernan the Strategic Social Value Lead at AtkinsRealis. 

Audience: Career Leaders, Co-Ordinators, Advisers and Careers Link Governors from West of England secondary mainstream, SEND schools, Alternative Learning Providers and Further Education Colleges.

Choose from 3 of the following workshops running throughout the day, and we will try our best to accommodate your choices:  

Workshop 1 - Work Ready: Shaping Employer Engagement That Works for Students and Industry

Looking to strengthen your employer engagement offer? This interactive workshop will give you the tools to design meaningful modern work experience and employer-led opportunities that truly benefit your students. Led by the Head of Social Value at AtkinsRéalis, we’ll explore how to build partnerships that work for both education and industry. 

You’ll learn how to engage employers effectively, use language that resonates with them, and start shaping a clear employer engagement strategy that supports your wider careers goals. Through real examples, short activities, and a practical framework, you’ll leave with fresh ideas and a plan to build or refine your employer offer - whether you're just starting out or ready to take it to the next level. 

Perfect for Careers Leaders and practitioners looking to embed employer engagement into a whole-school/college approach.

Workshop 2 - From Me to We: Making teacher CPD on Careers Education a Whole School/College Endeavour

The recent Gatsby report now states that ‘As part of the school’s programme of careers education, all teachers should link curriculum learning with careers and should form part of the school’s/colleges ongoing staff development programme for teachers and all staff who support young people'. The aim of the workshop is for Careers Leads to be inspired and energised to go back to their school with confidence and tools to facilitate a CPD session on Careers, skills and employability, that will resonate with subject teachers, creating a whole institution, distributed leadership approach to careers education. 

Workshop 3 - Use success stories to enhance careers programmes through impactful storytelling, marketing, and communication techniques

In this practical workshop, Careers Leaders will explore topics such as alumni engagement, working with parents and carers, and raising aspirations. 

You'll learn how to use success stories to enhance your careers programmes through impactful storytelling, marketing, and communication techniques. There will also be time for you to reflect on your own approaches to influencing others, and consider how you can apply these strategies to strengthen your own careers provision.

Workshop 4 - Personal Guidance for the Future

This practical workshop will offer a concise overview of key developments shaping the future of careers guidance. Participants will explore the application of career theories into practice, the use of AI in career development activities, and strategies to evidence the impact of personal guidance to contribute to a whole school approach. The session will link to recent recommendations from the Gatsby Review. 

Through practical activities and peer discussion, attendees will gain actionable strategies they can implement in their own settings.

Workshop 5 - Creating a progressive, responsive and impactful careers learning journey, underpinned by learning outcomes

This interactive workshop will give participants the opportunity to explore practical steps in creating a sequential, progressive learning journey which is underpinned by relevant careers-related learning outcomes. Using the Careers Impact System maturity model as a framework for continuous improvement, this workshop will help careers professionals to ensure their careers learning journey supports learners to make informed decisions and develop career readiness.