Portsmouth Careers and Apprenticeship Show 2023

SUN Delivery Group Blog I October 2023

By Carla Wiggs, SUN Project Facilitator at University of Southampton

Last month, the Southern Universities Network attended the Portsmouth Careers and Apprenticeship Show (CAS), an event organised by Portsmouth City Council, who worked hard in the background to put on a successful and well-organised event. The event was widely attended by local schools, young people, and parents and carers supporting their young people on their educational journeys.

Alongside local colleges, students and parents could also visit the stands of local employers and apprenticeship providers to find out more about opportunities that relate to their interests. For students who were unsure about their options and wanted some impartial advice, the SUN stand was there to provide information and offer this advice.

The day saw over a thousand attendees, with 10 local schools arriving throughout the day by coach, and an evening session for parents, carers, and young people. The SUN helped sponsor school transport to the event, which helped the number of students who were able to attend the event. The event was hosted at the Fratton Park football ground in Portsmouth, and there was a real buzz in the air – it was wonderful to see such a fantastic turnout for the event! It was great to speak to so many students and parents/carers from the local community at the event and get a deeper understanding of the questions and worries they had about different education pathways. At SUN, we aim to provide information and answers to these questions, in addition to resources which can be taken away to help with the decision-making process and the steps that follow – (our resources can also be found here on our website).

To help students prepare for the CAS, the SUN’s delivery team visited a variety of schools in the Portsmouth area and delivered bespoke talks on ‘preparing for the Careers and Apprenticeship Show’. Many students may not have attended an event of this nature and size before, so can feel unsure of how to approach the stands and which questions to ask; therefore, helping students to prepare for this opportunity and make the most of it is really important.

A big ‘thank you’ to the CAS Team for having us!