This series of online events focuses on cross-sector collaborative approaches aiming to improve access to careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG), strengthen progression pathways, and address inequitable access to meaningful jobs and careers.

Through sharing effective practice in developing collaborative partnerships, the series will consider how to create more co-ordinated and inclusive support that helps young people from underserved groups realise their potential and successfully enter the labour market.

This event will take place from 10am - 12pm online.

Speakers from employer organisations, higher education, and the third sector will share their perspectives:

Bridging the gaps: practical approaches to cross-sector careers collaboration - Natalie Freeman, Skills Award Manager, UEA

Careers education operates across a complex ecosystem spanning schools, further education and higher education. However, practitioners often work within institutional boundaries, with limited visibility of provision before and after their own stage. This can result in fragmented experiences for students at key transition points, particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds (Freeman & Webb, 2024).

This practice-based session draws on institutional experience, sector engagement, and emerging doctoral research to explore how these disconnects manifest in practice and what can be done to address them. While there is widespread commitment to improving collaboration, practical mechanisms for sustained, meaningful cross-sector working are often underdeveloped.

The session will present a set of evidence-informed, practical strategies to support more coherent and inclusive careers education. These include using structured dialogue approaches to surface differing assumptions across sectors, developing shared language around employability and career readiness, and designing realistic models of collaboration that account for institutional constraints. Participants will gain actionable approaches that can be adapted within their own contexts to support more joined-up careers provision and improve student transitions across the education system.

Employability Opportunities with IntoUniversity - Chloe Cheetham, Impact and Evaluation Manager and Ellen Daunt, Head of Student Opportunities, IntoUniversity

IntoUniversity works with students from underrepresented backgrounds to improve access to Higher Education (HE). Careers education and employability have always informed our approach, beginning with careers workshops in primary school and continuing throughout secondary school through sustained engagement with volunteers from the world of work.

We recognise the importance of employability for students’ long-term success. In response, we have developed a Student Opportunities programme. In this session, we will share our Theory of Change, demonstrating how we support students from secondary school through to university. We will highlight how the programme supports students’ career development through meaningful engagement with professional volunteers, partnerships with corporate organisations offering insight days and internships, and our own programme of skills workshops and tailored application support.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the programme, we are piloting a new approach using entry and exit surveys, alongside follow-up surveys with students one year participation. Student voice has been central to this process, with students actively contributing to the development and refinement of these methods.

Employer-Education Collaboration in Practice: Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Learning Lab model - Roberts Zivtins, Associate Director, Community Affairs & Head of Oxford Learning Lab, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

This presentation explores Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Learning Lab model as an exemplar of global, industry-leading outreach that broadens access to STEM through collaboration between employers, educators, and local communities. Based in Boston, San Diego, and Oxford, the Learning Labs provide dedicated spaces where young people can participate in hands-on lab experiments, explore STEM careers, and develop critical business skills.

Focusing on three key programmes within the Learning Labs; the class visits programme, the summer internship, and the Vertex Scholarship, this presentation will show how Vertex Pharmaceuticals creates multiple entry points for young people to engage with science, gain meaningful exposure to the workplace, and access longer-term support for progression. Together, these programmes demonstrate how industry can provide work-based learning opportunities, educational support and create pathways from education to employment for those from under-resourced backgrounds.

Bridging Inequality in Education‑to‑Work Pathways: Insights from Net Zero Outreach - Clair Coooper, Research Fellow, Teeside University Net Zero Innovation Centre

At a time of widening inequalities in education–employment pathways, this talk examines how more coordinated, place‑based approaches can better support young people into meaningful careers. Drawing on the Research England Hydrogen Innovation Project education outreach programme, it presents early insights from a series of workshops using creative, participatory methods. The findings demonstrate how role play and speculative design can enhance young people’s understanding of net zero, while building confidence, systems thinking, and awareness of career pathways. The talk highlights the value of integrating skills development with real‑world challenges and argues for more joined‑up, cross‑sector approaches to careers education, particularly for underserved groups.