Careers & Higher Education Fair 2026

Universities, employers and apprenticeship providers descended on Solihull Sixth Form College this week for the 2026 Careers & Higher Education Fair, offering Year 12 learners the opportunity to get a head start on their post-college plans.

In what is one of the biggest careers fairs in the region, exhibitors took over the Sports Hall and Studio, with more than 80 stands for learners to visit, including universities such as Aston, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Warwick. They were joined by employers such as British Airways, Barclays Bank and Jaguar Land Rover.

A programme of over 50 talks saw visiting speakers come in to talk on a range of topics from Aerospace Engineering and Medicine to Criminology and Construction. Almost 1,500 bookings were made to attend careers talks, as Year 12 learners made the most of the opportunity to explore their post-College options.

Assistant Principal Trevor Irving, who is responsible for Careers at the College, commented:

"This is a massive event to organise and I congratulate the Careers team for making it such a big success. It was a very hot day and we are very grateful to all the universities, training providers and employers for giving up their time to help our young people. The event offered students the chance to meet with representatives from a huge range of further education and training providers all under one roof, so that they could be as informed as possible about their progression opportunities. This event is just the start, and we will continue to work with our young people as they move into Year 13 and decide on their future career path."

Many of these young people will be applying to university and they will be making their UCAS applications in the Autumn. Academic Coaching and Careers staff members will be supporting those learners to make the best applications they can.

25 June 2026