The one-day careers conference will be running on Thursday 3rd February 2022 at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. The event is open to sixth form students and teachers across Kent, in a bid to inspire and educate young people about careers in the digital space.

Industry-leading speakers from a range of backgrounds will be joining on the day, to share their career journeys, job insights and top tips with the aim to help bridge the digital skills shortage in the UK.

The digital skills shortage

According to a study by World Skills UK, research shows that:

60 percent of businesses believe that their reliance on advanced digital skills is set to increase over the next five years.

Yet, despite this demand, it's become apparent that student’s don’t feel educated well enough on digital skills. Proven by a study conducted by Reflect Digital in 2019, which revealed that:

63% of students across the UK believe more needs to be done at schools, colleges and universities to educate them about the number of careers in the digital world.

With 90% of student’s stating that they would benefit from learning about digital marketing/coding in schools, colleges and universities.

In light of this research, Reflect Digital’s CEO, Becky Simms has made it her mission to raise awareness of the digital careers available and inspire young people in the county, by teaming up with Maidstone Grammar School for Girls to run this one-day digital conference.

The conference

The aim of Aspiration Digital is to educate, inspire and empower the next generation by:

Introducing students to the different careers available in digital
Demonstrating how these roles align with A-Level subjects
Exploring the different routes that can be taken, such as Apprenticeship training and University courses
Educating students on applying for jobs and how to build their professional profiles
Empowering young people to find a career that they love

There will be a number of guest speakers and exhibitors in attendance, from local businesses and expert agencies, including Red Sprout and partner agency LAB.

The conference offers students the opportunity to listen to these keynote speakers, network with professionals and select breakout sessions to match their interests, with the choice of 6 different roles: