Thousands of young people descend on the Kassam Stadium for major annual careers event

Careers Fest 2026 sees secondary school students from across Oxfordshire meet dozens of businesses, as they begin to map out potential career pathways.

Around 3,000 teenagers from across Oxfordshire are set to meet a diverse range of the county’s best businesses this week (18 and 19 March), as Careers Fest – the leading employment opportunities exhibition for young people in the area – once again returns to the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

Led by Enterprise Oxfordshire and its Oxfordshire Careers Hub, Careers Fest brings together businesses and education, supporting young people to think about their next steps, including inspiring them with future employment opportunities and connecting organisations with future talent.

More than 80 exhibitors will be attending the two-day event, with 30 Oxfordshire secondary schools, special schools and further education colleges expected to visit Careers Fest too.

Similar to previous years, the 2026 event takes place at the Kassam Stadium across this Wednesday and Thursday with a special ‘twilight session’ for parents and carers scheduled for Wednesday evening, between 4pm and 7pm.

Dozens of parents and carers have already signed-up to attend the twilight session, with Enterprise Oxfordshire encouraging more families to attend, with last minute spaces still available.

As well as businesses – representing a range of sectors – set to exhibit at Careers Fest, representatives from universities, further education colleges and a host of training providers will also be on-hand to offer advice and guidance.

Since its inception, Careers Fest has created a platform for young people to ‘get up close and personal’ with the products, projects and the services exhibiting companies are developing and delivering on a daily basis.

The event has proved to be beneficial to a strong number of young people teenagers who have previously attended Careers Fest, with many going onto obtain opportunities with organisations to have exhibited, including apprenticeship placements and work experience openings.

A very strong array of exhibitors has once again been secured, with many nationally or internationally-renowned in their respective fields, including Siemens Healthineers, BMW Group, Owen Mumford, AirTanker, Oxford University Hospitals and Blenheim Palace.

Careers Fest is supported by the Careers & Enterprise Company who have worked in partnership with Enterprise Oxfordshire Skills for around a decade.

Helen Brind – Director of Business and Skills at Enterprise Oxfordshire – said: “Careers Fest continues to prove its value as a powerful meeting point between young people and employers, creating meaningful conversations at a pivotal stage in teenagers’ lives.

“At the same time, it offers businesses the chance to connect with the future workforce as they plan for growth.

“We’re delighted to once again deliver a flagship event for young people across the county and we strongly encourage parents and carers to attend the twilight session to be part of these important discussions.”

Through Careers Fest, Enterprise Oxfordshire aims to highlight the pathways an apprenticeship can offer a young person, enabled in part by the county’s larger businesses pledging allocations of apprenticeship levy funding to Oxfordshire’s small businesses, supporting them to create new apprenticeship opportunities.

This is an area of work well understood by Enterprise Oxfordshire as, up to March 2025, its activity securing apprenticeship levy funds from larger businesses saw pledges to SME businesses exceed £5 million, initiating over 500 apprenticeship opportunities.

Helen Brind added: “Through events such as Careers Fest and indeed, the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards which will take place in May, we’re helping businesses see both the value of apprenticeships and the opportunity they present right now.

“With tailored advice and support available from organisations like Enterprise Oxfordshire, employers have access to the guidance they need to get started or take their schemes further.

“This is just one strand of a wider programme focused on strengthening apprenticeship provision and funding across Oxfordshire and supporting businesses to grow their talent pipeline.”

Enterprise Oxfordshire became the new trading name of OxLEP in April last year, marking the completion of a two‑year transition that saw local economic development functions move under arrangements agreed by Oxfordshire County Council.

The council now acts as Enterprise Oxfordshire’s sole shareholder under a Teckal company arrangement.