Graduate Employability Conference 2026
Thursday 18 June 2026
Virtual Conference
The Graduate Employability Conference 2026 will explore how careers leaders and practitioners can design practical, outcome-focused employability strategies that deliver measurable impact in an increasingly resource-constrained environment — improving graduate progression, student success and institutional performance across the student journey.
The Conference will:
Explore how to develop employability interventions to drive measurable improvements in graduate outcomes and student progression
Provide practical frameworks for embedding employability into curriculum and delivery to reach every student
Examine how targeted, data-informed approaches can improve engagement, participation and impact at scale
Share applied approaches to preparing students for a more competitive, AI-influenced and less predictable labour market
Analyse how employability strategy can support more inclusive outcomes, diverse pathways and long-term career success
Why attend the conference?
Assess how your institution can design interventions that deliver measurable impact on graduate outcomes and student progression
Discover practical approaches for embedding employability across the student journey to reach every student
Develop a roadmap for delivering targeted, scalable employability support that improves engagement, capability and long-term career success
Agenda
09:30 am
Chair’s Welcome Address
Ali Collins
Head of Careers
University of Warwick (CONFIRMED)
09:40 am
What Actually Moves Graduate Outcomes?
Where employability efforts are (and aren’t) driving measurable outcomes
The moments in the student journey that have disproportionate impact
How leading employability teams are refocusing resource to improve progression
Cherise Basslian
Director of Careers and Student Enterprise
University of East London (CONFIRMED)
10:10 am
How Do You Evidence Real Employability Impact?
Moving from activity reporting to outcome storytelling
Using Graduate Outcomes data to influence institutional decisions
What credible “impact” looks like in practice
Building an evidence base without increasing workload
John Watkins
Director of Employability
The University of Law (CONFIRMED)
10:50 am
Break and Networking
11:05 am
From Skills to Evidence: Helping Students Demonstrate Capability
Why students struggle to demonstrate what they can do
Designing experiences that generate credible examples
Embedding reflection and articulation into delivery
Aligning student evidence with what employers actually assess
Stuart Johnson
Director of Careers and Skills
University of Bristol (CONFIRMED)
11:45 am
Engaging Hard to Reach Students: Practical Strategies
Why traditional outreach approaches aren’t working for careers teams
Designing employability that meets students where they already are
Using data and behaviour to drive targeted interventions
Shifting to ‘default’ and built-in participation models
What disengaged students are telling us (and what do they want to change)
Gemma Kenyon
Director of Employability
City St George’s, University of London (CONFIRMED)
12:25 pm
Break and Networking
1:00 pm
AI Overload: Rethinking Applications, Advice and Authenticity
How AI is reshaping application quality and employer expectations
Where students are losing distinctiveness
Coaching for originality and real authenticity
What does AI mean for how careers team prepare students for application processes?
1:30 pm
Building Skills That Resonate: Bridging Curriculum and Careers for Real-World Impact
Bridging curriculum and careers: This session explores how academic teaching and central careers services can work together to move beyond discrete skills development toward supporting students in demonstrating capability in ways that resonate with employers
An experiential framework for evidencing learning: It introduces a practical model of Experience, Reflection, Articulation, Evidence showing how learning activities, combined with careers-led guidance, can help students translate their experiences into clear, credible evidence
Embedding across the student journey: The session considers how this approach can be integrated across programmes, with academics designing authentic learning and careers services providing scaffolding (e.g. reflection tools, employer insight, portfolio support)
Enhancing student outcomes: Through examples and adaptable strategies, it highlights how a joined-up approach can improve students’ confidence, ability to articulate their strengths, and overall readiness for employment
Angela Standish
Head of Careers and Employability
University of Chester (CONFIRMED)
1:50 pm
Break and Networking
2:05 pm
Embedding Employability: It Takes a Village!
Where might employability fit within an institutional education strategy?
Is it a side dish, or can it be the main course?
How to make employability education structurally unmissable at scale
A practical example, and lessons learned!
Chris Traynor
Senior Manager, Careers and Employability
Newcastle University (CONFIRMED)
2:45 pm
Beyond the Linear Career: Preparing Students for a More Complex Employment Environment
Why traditional “graduate pathway” thinking no longer reflects reality
How career journeys are becoming more fragmented, flexible and non-linear
Supporting students to navigate uncertainty, pivots and multiple entry points
Redefining success beyond first destinations and immediate outcomes
Harpaul Singh Dhindsa
Head of Careers and Employability
University of Lincoln (CONFIRMED)
3:25 pm
Doing More with Less (Without Burning Out Your Team)
Practical approaches to scaling support without losing effectiveness
Where AI and automation can genuinely add value
Prioritising high-impact interventions in constrained environments
What to stop, start and scale based on real outcomes
Katy Gordon
Director of Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise
University of Southampton (CONFIRMED)
4:05 pm
Conference Close & Key Takeaways
The practical shifts that are improving outcomes right now
What to start, stop and scale within your employability model
How to apply today’s insights within your institution
Audience
This Conference is designed for higher education professionals responsible for shaping employability strategy, delivery and student outcomes. Those in attendance will include:
Directors of Careers and Employability
Heads of Careers Services
Heads of Employability and Skills
Graduate Outcomes and Student Success Leads
Employability Managers and Careers Consultants
Placements, Work-Based Learning and Employer Engagement Managers
Secure Your On Demand Ticket
HE and Public Sector
£195 + VAT
Private Sector
£395 + VAT
HE Team of 3
£526.50 + VAT
For group discounts and enquiries about your registration please contact us on enquiries@heprofessional.co.uk