Shrewsbury College hosted the inaugural Routes2Careers event on Thursday, 12 February 2026, at its London Road Campus, welcoming over 1,000 young people to a large-scale careers fair designed to connect future talent with leading regional employers. The campus was transformed into a professional exhibition space, with more than 80 organisations participating across two dedicated halls.

Students aged 14 and above from five schools attended daytime sessions, followed by an evening open session for parents, carers, and members of the wider community. The event also included a dedicated SEN-friendly session to ensure equitable and accessible engagement for all attendees.

The careers fair brought together a broad range of industries, including media, engineering, food production, public services, health, construction, digital, and professional services. Employers such as the BBC, Babcock, and Müller provided insights into sector-specific opportunities, emerging skills needs, and potential employment pathways.

Throughout the event, exhibitors were invited to share the key advice they would offer to their 16‑year‑old selves.

Delegates engaged with a variety of interactive demonstrations, including VR-based skills simulations, industry‑specific equipment displays, and practical challenges. Alongside the exhibition, a programme of Spotlight Talks enabled students to hear first-hand from industry professionals about their career journeys and the realities of working within their fields.

College Principal James Staniforth said: ‘It was fantastic to see so many engaged students finding out about different routes into early-career opportunities across a range of industry sectors in our region. I’d like to offer my thanks to all the organisations that supported this event.’

Andrew Lee, Director of Employer Engagement for the college, continued: ‘We developed this event to help organisations meet their future skills needs and provide career inspiration for the young people across Shropshire and Mid Wales. We hope that Routes2Careers 2026 delivered a strong foundation for future annual events. Shrewsbury College remains committed to supporting every young person to identify their strengths, explore meaningful pathways, and progress toward fulfilling futures.’

Employers attending the event were also very impressed with the young people in attendance.

George Heeks, Engineering Apprenticeship Co-Ordinator, for Muller MYD said:

’The Routes2Careers event was a great opportunity to meet lots of potential future engineers and to talk about their aspirations for the future.’

And his view was backed up by Evie Bennett, Marketing Executive for SJ Roberts, as she stated: ‘Bringing students and employers together is hugely beneficial. Students gain first-hand insight into the range of career pathways available, while employers like us gain direct access to the workforce of tomorrow. Shrewsbury College’s Routes2Careers event was an excellent example of this in action. Students were highly engaged, the range of employers was impressive, and the event was extremely well organised.’