Businesses and training providers across Surrey can now sign up to showcase their opportunities at the 2024 Festival of Skills.
The first ever Surrey Festival of Skills took place in November 2023 and left hundreds of young people fired up about their futures.
More than 1,300 people from schools and colleges across Surrey attended the free one-day event, engaging with 80 exhibitors, including Samsung, British Airways, Pfizer, Haleon, and BAE Systems.
The event was organised and funded by Surrey County Council, with support from the Association of Learning Providers Surrey (ALPS) and Surrey Event Professionals.
Planning for the 2024 event is now underway with the festival set to return in the autumn. Businesses, training providers and educational settings who wish to attend can register their interest via https://surreyfestivalofskills.co.uk/
The Festival of Skills is open to young people 14 to 18 who are in education in Surrey.
Those attending access inspirational talks and interactive displays, while also learning about potential career opportunities.
Sectors represented included the creative arts, construction, cyber security, health and social care, technology, engineering, public sector, and hospitality.
Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, described the 2023 event as “a big success”.
In opening the 2023 event, Cllr Oliver said: “We have a vibrant, thriving, and diverse economy in Surrey, which generates roughly £50 billion a year for the UK.
“With a skilled workforce, high business success rate and enviable location, there is huge potential to grow the economy of Surrey sustainably in years to come.
“The single most important component to achieving that growth is the individual contributions of our workforce. It’s their talent, their ideas, their passion which makes organisations thrive and prosper.
“That is why the Festival of Skills is so important. Because it provides opportunities for our local young people to experience, to connect, to be inspired about their future.”
Star attractions on the day included a prototype supercar worth more than £2 million created by Guildford-based Gordon Murray Automotive and a robotic dog, which construction firm Balfour Beatty utilised on the M25 improvements and other major schemes.
Matt Furniss, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport & Economic Growth, said: “The first-ever Festival of Skills was a day to remember for all involved – providing young people with the chance to rub shoulders with major employers and be inspired about their futures.
“Providing opportunities for employers to connect with the county’s future workforce is integral to our wider Skills agenda and achieving our mission to ensure No One is Left Behind.”
