About us

About us

Vision and Mission

We want young Londoners to benefit from the opportunities available in the Square Mile and beyond. That includes equity of opportunity for those from underrepresented groups, from areas of deprivation, and those who are neurodiverse, have special educational needs, or are differently abled.

To get there, we work to connect companies with young people, supporting them to provide insight sessions, tasters and skills-builders for young people from primary, secondary, and post-16 settings.

For a young person to feel like they can work here, they need to feel welcomed and know how to pursue the available opportunities.

Get a feel for the festival

The London Careers Festival welcomes primary, secondary, and post-16 students to explore careers through workshops, insight sessions, and activities.

I can
work here!

The starting point for any career is feeling like the job is open to you, so we want young people to know “I can work here!”, whether it’s a specific business or the Square Mile in general.

Industry workshop at an architecture firm in the City

Our aims

Mobilise

Mobilise businesses operating in the Square Mile.

Inspire

Inspire young Londoners to consider the variety of careers on offer.

Support

Support festival attendees to explore the skills required, especially those facing the most challenges.

Employability
Skills

Careers and job roles are evolving faster and faster, so the London Careers Festival explores transferable employability skills with participants. Learn more at Find Fusion.

Presentation Skills

Written Communication

Collaboration & Team Work

Autonomy

Initiative

Critical Thinking

Problem Solving

Resilience

Organisational Skills

Creativity

Adaptability & Flexibility

Analysis & Evaluation

History

Discover the key milestones and growth of the London Careers Festival since its launch in 2019, highlighting how it has expanded and evolved over that time.

June 2019

The first festival brought separate initiatives into one bigger event for all school ages. 5,046 attended in-person.

29 June 2021_ Natwest_ Dream Bigger_ 11am x 1

July 2020

Events moved online during the pandemic. Companies involved included NatWest, PwC, Bloomberg, and Sir Robert McAlpine.

14 September 2024

The festival went hybrid, keeping its online sessions and welcoming schools back in-person to The Guildhall.

February 2024

To better fit school calendars, the festival moved to its new spring-term position.

February 2025

A record-breaking year. The highest in-person attendance, the most sessions on-location at a business, and the most sessions for SEND.

Image caption to sit here

Livery
Schools

From the very beginning, the City of London Livery Companies have supported the festival through the voluntary work of the Livery Schools Link.

Case
studies

Take a look at our case studies to see how students gain skills, confidence, and real-world insight through these powerful experiences.

E.ON Raises their Profile

Energy

Post 16

To raise awareness of its good work, E.ON provided a showcase stall, site tour, and follow-on work insight session.

Keltbray and Animate Arts

Creative

Keltbray engineering joined forces with Animate Arts to bring built environment careers to life for primary-age pupils.

London Careers Festival

Book events

Take a look at the events that are ready to book. More events are being realised through the autumn term, so sign up to our newsletter and be in-the-know!