Step Up Expo: Over 5,000 students get support with their next steps

This summer, Unifrog was headline partner at the UK's first expo for teens' education, careers, and life choices, hosted by the Evening Standard.

The first UK event of its kind, Step Up Expo saw over 7,000 attendees, including teachers, parents and caregivers, and over 5,000 students flock to Olympia London to learn about the range of opportunities out there: post-16 and post-18.

What happened?

Across the two days, students had the chance to get involved in workshops, listen to talks, and meet employers and universities to ask their burning questions. Opportunities on offer included:

• advice on tricky topics like deciding whether to leave school at 16, choosing between different qualifications, and whether to study at a local or international university
   
• interactive workshops focused on careers that included robotics, e-sports, and hospitality
   
• talks from inspiring guest speakers like environmentalist Bella Lack, Radio 1 DJ Jack Saunders, and Shoshanna Davis, aka The Fairy Jobmother

Each student who signed up had the option to receive their own personalised itinerary based on their interests, helping them to easily navigate the wealth of opportunities they could explore.
Who else got involved?

Unifrog’s university and employer partners from across the country also came along, hosting and joining some of the talks and workshops on offer, like:

• The University of East Anglia’s workshop on how to ace your Personal Statement
   
• British Airways and Bright Horizon UK’s workshop on ten reasons an apprenticeship could be for you
   
• City, University of London as part of a panel talk on making the decision to go to university

What did people think?

In a follow-up survey, 100% of student respondents said they would attend Step Up again next year.

Are you a student who came along on the day? What did you think? Fill in our speedy survey here so we can help make your Step Up experience even better next year!

What’s coming next?

Step Up Expo will be back in 2024. Watch this space! In the meantime, keep an eye on this page for a video of the event.

Until then, check out our Events page for more useful events and webinars that you can get involved with.