What Next? Careers and Skills Show

First Show – 2022

At the first Skills and Careers Show, we brought together over 50 employers, education, and training providers. Employers came from a wide range of sectors, including energy, housing, hospitality, the NHS, armed forces, and more. There were also major local employers in attendance, including Unilever and Sellafield. 

Training and education providers included Wirral Met College, local universities, and specialist providers of training in sports, media production, and performing and creative arts.

Lord Mayor of Wirral Councillor Jeff Green visited the show, meeting exhibitors, schools, and Council and Career Connect staff.

The second half of the day was dedicated to 16–19-year-olds, and those up to the age of 25 with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) and/or care leavers.

More than 450 pupils from schools across the Wirral attended and gained valuable insights into employment and further education. 

Second Show – 2023

The aim for 2023 was to build on the success of the first, and link as many young people as possible with employers and pathways to help inform their career choices.

At the second Skills and Careers Show, we brought together over 55 employers, education, and training providers – an increase from the previous year.

More than 700 students from 15 secondary schools across the Wirral attended the second show – an increase of more than 250 from the number of young people who attended in 2022. 

Students enjoyed conversations with employers and education providers and were able to take away materials with more information.

“Giving our young people the chance to dip their toes into the world of work is so important, as today’s students are our future workforce.
“The What Next? Skills Show allows young people to make connections with employers and get more information while also giving them an opportunity to ask questions about their future career choices.”

Councillor Sue Powell-Wilde Chair of Children, Young People and Education Committee for Wirral Council

Third Show – 2024

Our third Skills and Careers Show was our biggest one yet. By drawing on our extensive network, we brought together over 60 local employers, training, and education providers. This enabled students to discover a wide variety of pathways. 

Around 1000 students from 13 secondary schools across the Wirral attended – an increase of over 300 young people from the previous year, and over 550 young people from year one. 

Our approach

The shows are open to all schools across the Wirral, and by bringing everyone together at one central event, lots of people can benefit at the same time.

We ensure that all stalls are as interactive as possible, meaning that students can try different things. This helps to cement their learning in a fun way and has contributed to students coming back year on year.

Every year, we try to do something a bit different, to keep the show exciting and relevant. Wirral Met College brings people from different departments each year, which ensures that students get an understanding of the college overall.

We are committed to ensuring our services reflect the needs of young people, and we regularly collect feedback from students, schools, and employers, which helps to improve our services. 

Our vision for the future

We hope that the Skills and Careers Shows continue to grow, and that each year we can reach new and different people. We also hope to take our services further afield and reach new areas.

We are committed to ensuring our services are as inclusive as possible. This year, we will be helping an organisation to deliver an inclusive careers fair for deaf people in Birmingham. This will involve collaborative working with Action for Deafness and SignLive. 

We are really excited that, by drawing on our learning from the Skills and Careers Shows, we can deliver inclusive services, reaching more young people across the country.