Education, industry, technological innovation and careers were all connected at the Derby Promise’s Festival of Ideas 2026.
Over 160 primary and secondary children attended the event at Derbyshire County Cricket Ground, alongside employers including Balfour Beatty, Rolls Royce, Caddick Construction, Propel Design + Development, and WSP.
The focus of this year’s festival was AI and all things digital, helping students to understand how exciting and fast-paced technological changes are creating new job opportunities. Learners explored emerging AI and digital career pathways and discovered how Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects can help them tackle real-world challenges.
Workshops provided by the employers explored the topic of AI in practical and inspiring ways, helping young people understand both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with emerging technologies. Activities focused careers and skills, bringing to life ideas that children encounter within the classroom but might not normally see put to use in hands-on ways.
Derby City Council’s Derby Promise continues its mission to tackle youth unemployment by providing fantastic opportunities – practical and inspirational - helping children to understand how a passion for a topic can be developed into a fulfilling career. Whether it’s pursuing a favourite subject or learning skills like teamwork and communication through a hobby, the programme ensures children have opportunities to propel them towards bright futures.
Balfour Beatty, currently the UK’s largest construction company and based in Derby, took a deep dive into how a nuclear reactor works and the role nuclear energy plays in the UK’s future, while Rolls Royce apprentices worked with children to use a retro arcade game for digital problem solving. Other talks, quizzes, games and hands-on activities fired up minds and got children talking and working together to create solutions and complete challenges.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills said:
Derby’s five strongest economic growth areas are Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM); Sport and Leisure; AI and Design; Automotive and Rail; and Creative and Culture.
Inspiring our school-age learners to dream big and explore careers in these fields is a great starting point, but it’s so important that we then connect these young people with experiences and opportunities to see these dreams through - this sits at the heart of the Derby Promise.
Events like the Festival of Ideas sit in a larger body of work ensuring the city’s young people and employers alike benefit from the talented minds on their doorstep, and that the seeds of career inspiration are sown from a young age.
For more about the Derby Promise and the resources and events it provides, visit the Derby Promise website.