Surrey Festival of Skills 2023

The first ever Surrey Festival of Skills took place in November 2023 and left hundreds of young people fired up about their futures.

More than 1,300 people from schools and colleges across Surrey attended the free one-day event, engaging with 70 exhibitors. Sectors represented included the creative arts, construction, cyber security, health and social care, technology, engineering, public sector, and hospitality.

Exhibitors included Samsung, British Airways, Pfizer, Haleon, BAE Systems, Animal & Plant Health Agency, NHS, armed forces and Surrey Fire & Rescue.

Star attractions on the day included a prototype supercar worth more than £2 million created by Guildford-based Gordon Murray Automotive and a robotic dog, which construction firm Balfour Beatty utilised on the M25 improvements and other major schemes.

In opening the 2023 event, Cllr Oliver said: “We have a vibrant, thriving, and diverse economy in Surrey, which generates roughly £50 billion a year for the UK.

With a skilled workforce, high business success rate and enviable location, there is huge potential to grow the economy of Surrey sustainably in years to come.

The single most important component to achieving that growth is the individual contributions of our workforce. It’s their talent, their ideas, their passion which makes organisations thrive and prosper.

That is why the Festival of Skills is so important. Because it provides opportunities for our local young people to experience, to connect, to be inspired about their future.”