The event offers students in Years 9 and above – and their families – the opportunity to connect with some of Oxfordshire’s best employers, highlighting significant career pathways available in the county.
Continuing the success of previous years – the 2025 Oxfordshire ‘Careers Fest’ is currently well underway – giving young people from around the county the opportunity to consider their futures by engaging with employers, education and training providers, with some of the county’s biggest organisations in attendance.
Run by OxLEP Skills’ Oxfordshire Careers Hub – supported by the Careers & Enterprise Company – the event sees students from a vast array of Oxfordshire schools and colleges attend daytime sessions, including secondary schools, further education colleges and special schools.
Running over two days on Wednesday and Thursday this week, the event also sees a ‘twilight’ session take place this evening (Wednesday 19th) giving parents and carers the opportunity to attend with their young people, to arm families with the knowledge to support students with their career and further education decisions.
Aimed at all families, but with a specific focus on those supporting students in Year 9 and above – the evening session provides the opportunity for guidance and sharing knowledge on Post-16 and Post-18 education, training and careers options.
Following on from the success of National Careers Week earlier in the month, Careers Fest sees 80 organisations from across a huge array of sectors in Oxfordshire exhibiting, including key county names such as Blenheim Palace, BMW, University of Oxford and Williams Racing.
A number of organisations are also supporting the event as headline sponsors – including Grundon Waste Management, Howden Insurance, Laing O’ Rourke, Lucy Group, Morgan Sindall Construction, Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Velocity Football – contributing to the travel costs for schools to help ensure as many students as possible can attend. The full list of exhibitors can be found on the OxLEP Skills website.
Nigel Tipple – Chief Executive of OxLEP – said: “We’ve been running Careers Fest for many years now, and every year I am truly blown away by the commitment of the county’s employers in supporting skills provision and education for Oxfordshire’s young people – the event really has become the region’s most anticipated and exciting careers event.
“Oxfordshire is a county with an aptitude in numerous key industries and technologies – from its world-class scientific capabilities and R&D reputation – to its global motorsport presence – to the vast array of opportunities that come with the county’s renowned visitor economy.
“The wonderful thing about Careers Fest is the representation across so many of these sectors that is put forward – ensuring the county’s young people have all the right information to take their next steps in terms of education, employment and training.”
“This year we are lucky enough to have over 80 of the county’s top employers exhibiting – the most we have ever had – and it’s a huge for opportunity for students and their parents to gauge what the right pathway may be for them and their future.”