Career inspiration event Get Inspired for Your Future brings together over 45 businesses to inspire over 750 students.
On 06 May 2026, the O2 Guildhall in Southampton was transformed into a hub of ambition for the day as the Get Inspired for Your Future event brought together over 750 students from 23 local schools for a day of career exploration. Building on a shared vision of inspiring and preparing local talent, this year’s event teamed up with Southampton City Council’s “Your Future” event to create a high-impact experience for young people, parents, and carers alike.
Supported by key partners including Southampton City Council, New Forest District Council and Barratt David Wilson Homes, the event connected the next generation of talent with over 45 local organisations, sparking vital conversations about the diverse career paths available across Southampton and the New Forest.
The event covered a huge variety of local careers, igniting student ambition, facilitating business networking and providing essential career support for parents and carers. Students engaged in interactive, fun, industry-led activities such as:
- Mobile Tech Truck: Hands-on access to VR/AR, flight simulators, robotics, and 3D printing.
- Drone Demos: Real-world applications for surveying vast and inaccessible terrain.
- Media Production: Recording radio ads, generating content and conducting interviews with a focus on digital editing.
- Healthcare Labs: Interactive anatomy games and empathy-belly experience.
- Career Discovery: Competitive quizzes, buzzer games, and “Job-Role Bingo.”
- STEM & Arts: Structural building, construction challenges, creative arts, and “Elephant Toothpaste” experiment!
Speaking about the impact of the event on the local students and community, EBP South CEO Sammy Ward said:
“Get Inspired for Your Future is an innovative event which allows young people to have key interactions with local businesses. This in turn helps young people to develop their employability skills and broadens their horizons about the job opportunities that are available to them. These events help to raise aspirations and inspire young people.”
Bridging the gap between classroom and career
Our mission is simple, but vital to connect schools to businesses that can help to inspire and prepare young people for the world of work. The results speak for themselves: 100% of students who attended the event reported discovering a wide range of career paths they previously didn’t know existed.
David Swieton (Employment and Skills Plan Coordinator) at Southampton County Council was keen to share his thoughts and highlight the importance of this partnership:
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with EBP South to support the Get Inspired for Your Future event on 6 May 2026. Events like this play a vital role in strengthening careers education for our schools, helping young people explore opportunities, make informed choices and giving parents confidence about the pathways available to their children.
The event also delivers real value for local and regional businesses, offering a platform to showcase their industries and engage directly with future talent. Supporting skills development, employment and education is a key priority for Southampton City Council, and this event reflects our commitment to creating positive opportunities that benefit our city and the wider region.”
Megan Hamlyn, Barratt Developments Marketing Manager, said:
“It’s extremely important that we work in tandem with the communities where we are building new homes, and by working closely with schools and careers events such as this, we can inspire the next generation of construction workers.
“EBP South’s Get Inspired events are a fantastic way to show young people the broad range of opportunities available to them, and we are delighted to be event partner for Get Inspired for Your Future 2026.”
EBP South
Inspire | Prepare | Connect
