1500 young people from across Brighton & Hove came together on 4 December for Hello Future 2025, a full-day careers inspiration event designed to help students explore future jobs, essential skills and the different career pathways open to them after school.

Hosted at The Wing at the Brighton Centre, the event brought more than 50 businesses, employers and entrepreneurs – including those working in creative and digital, hospitality, construction, finance, health, sustainability and more.

Brighton Chamber led on organising the event alongside West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub to ensure students had the chance to meet employers from the wide range of brilliant businesses across Sussex. Over 60 American Express colleagues supported logistics and helped the day run smoothly by welcoming students and guiding them around the skills fair.

Throughout the day, students met employers, tried hands-on activities, asked questions and heard about real career journeys, from squiggly paths and portfolio careers to more traditional routes. The aim was to spark curiosity, build confidence and help young people imagine a future that feels exciting and achievable.

Students also took part in a programme of talks by people working in different sectors of the local business community, at different points of their careers. From a conversation on creativity and resilience between lyricist and rapper Boudicca Pepper and Kaia Allen-Bevan from Edge of Difference, to talks on careers with purpose with Tom Willis from Shoreham Port and how AI is reshaping the future of work with Mary Kemp from AI Potential.

Hello Future 2025 is part of a commitment to building a skilled, confident and connected future workforce for the city. By opening their doors and taking part, employers helped young people understand the skills they need, the opportunities available locally and how their own strengths can shape their future careers.

Penny Daly, Enterprise Coordinator at West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub said: “Hello Future, now in its fifth year, continues to provide students from across the city and beyond the opportunity to develop essential skills, such as building confidence in communication. Equally, it offers businesses a valuable platform to hear directly from students, helping to shape future strategies and showcasing that our careers hub is built on collaboration.”

Sarah Springford, CEO at Brighton Chamber said: “We’ve really enjoyed bringing students together with local employers from Brighton’s business community. Hello Future has been such a rewarding day, offering a unique opportunity for us to facilitate conversations between young people and employers to find out what skills they need in their next steps towards their career.”

Donna Marie Janson, Principal & CEO at Varndean College said: “Hello Futures was an invaluable experience for our students. It gave them real insight into a wide range of industries, provided meaningful opportunities for work experience, and connected our learners with an exceptional array of employers. It was a truly marvellous event that broadened horizons and inspired the future ambitions of the next generation of leaders.”

Hello Future was delivered by West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub and Brighton Chamber. Headline sponsor American Express, supported by Rampion Offshore Windfarm, Shoreham Port and FM Conway.