Teachers and Advisers' Conference

Attendees checked in from 9.15am at Eldon Building, grabbed some refreshments and got ready for the day. 

An intro to the event as well as what’s new at the University of Portsmouth, including updates on and insights into how unconditional offer making affects students performance and how league tables are influencing student decision making.

John Yarham, CEO of The Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC), brought over 25 years of experience in careers, education, skills, and economic development. John began his career in schools and colleges and was previously CEO of the Futures Group before joining the CEC.

He also chairs the Skills Committee at the University of Derby and has held trustee and non-executive roles across primary and secondary schools, an awarding body, and Careers England.

Short breather. Take stock of the morning then get ready for the next session.

Attendees selected from the first of two subject activities: 

• Architecture, Art and Design: Creative Career Pathways

Join the School of Architecture, Art and Design to discover career pathways in Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Fashion Design and Photography activity showcasing our outstanding facilities, and highlight the distinctive strengths and specialisms within each discipline. We’ll dispel common myths about entry, share progression pathways and provide labour market insights on roles across studios, brands and agencies.

• Biological Sciences: From Molecules to Ecosystems

Biological Sciences is the study of the living world and offers great opportunities for new discoveries and exciting careers. This session includes a micro-lecture showcasing current work in Biology, Biochemistry and Marine Biology, followed by a practical classroom-ready activity. We’ll outline entry routes and programme choices, progression into biotech, health, ecology, conservation and environmental roles and share labour market insights on the biosciences workforce. Join us to learn about our degrees, our unique offerings in teaching and research, and get to know our expert staff and facilities.

• Business Computing: Technology, Data, and Decision Making

Explore how organisations use technology and data to guide everyday decisions. Take part in a practical task that contrasts intuitive judgment with evidence-based choices. We’ll outline entry routes into BSc Business Computing at the University of Portsmouth London and, progression into roles such as data analyst and business technologist, and share labour market information on digital skills demand. You’ll gain ideas to help learners understand how computing drives business success.

• Dental and Healthcare Professions: Preparing Applicants

What are dental and healthcare professions and how do you prepare for a registered professional role? This session includes a micro-lecture on professional standards and patient-centred practice, then a practical activity on evidence-building for applications. We’ll cover entry route guidance, progression into registered roles and labour market insights on workforce demand and specialisms.

• Education and Childhood Studies: Ethical Research with Children

This session captures attention by asking tough questions about conducting ethical research with children. By considering approaches and guidelines surrounding applied ethics, this will be a practical, activity- based session that leaves participants with an understanding of why we research with children, how we safeguard them, and the exciting research opportunities educational settings can provide.  We’ll outline entry routes into education-related degrees, progression into research, policy and practitioner roles, and share labour market insights on the sector.

• Film and Television: From Study to Industry

Take a look at the courses offered within Film and TV and explore how an HE course can prepare and connect students to working in the Film and TV industries. We’ll outline entry routes into our Film and Television courses, progression into production and post-production careers, and share labour market insights on emerging platforms. We will also look at our CCIXR studio space and show off some of the ways our Smart Stage and motion capture facilities have worked with our Film and TV students in the creation of their final projects.

• Languages: Reimaging Assessment with AI

Step beyond traditional tests. Let AI help students showcase real communication skills in the target language. Learn how to engage your students in authentic conversations, track fluency and deliver personalised learning with a practical demonstration you can adapt for classroom use.  Discover practical strategies to make assessment more dynamic, meaningful and future-ready, redefining what is possible in language assessment today.

• Maths and Physics: Various Degrees of Study

Mathematics and Physics are the fundamental topics which underpin our modern world, and at Portsmouth we deliver these subjects in a student-centred and supportive environment with an emphasis on approachability and graduate skills. In this session, we will give an overview of the Maths and Physics courses on offer and what it is like to study these subjects here at Portsmouth, as well as describe some of the careers these degrees can lead to. As an example of how Maths and Physics overlap in the real world, we will use soap films to demonstrate some naturally occurring optimisation and link it to connecting points in a network. We’ll outline entry routes, progression into analytics, engineering, research and tech roles to support a quantitative skills demand.

• Performing Arts: Value and Impact

Everything you wanted to know about performance degrees and were afraid to ask. This session blends a research-led discussion on inclusivity and cultural impact with a practical discussion you can adapt for classroom use. We’ll cover entry routes into our Drama and Theatre programmes, progression into careers in theatre, production, education and community arts, and share labour market insights on the creative economy. You’ll leave with clear messages to support and encourage learners and parents towards the arts.

• Restart a Heart: Lifesaving Skills in Practice

An exciting opportunity to take part in an interactive session to practice those important lifesaving skills and see the facilities students will use in the School of Dental, Health and Care Professions. We’ll outline entry routes into relevant healthcare programmes, progression into emergency care and community health roles and answer questions about labour market insights on skills demand.

• Sport, Physical Activity and Health: Pathways and Opportunities

Discover the breadth of futures available within the sport, physical activity and health sectors. This outreach-focused session highlights the diverse academic routes and professional pathways from sport science and coaching to business, entrepreneurship and innovation. We’ll outline entry routes into our programmes, progression into applied roles and share labour market insights on the sector.

Attendees fuelled-up with some delicious food (provided), networked with others and chatted to exhibitors in our exhibition space.

Lunch exhibition

Attendees could meet University of Portsmouth support teams during lunch, including Admissions, Careers, Student Money, Wellbeing, Disability Advice, Housing and Global teams, alongside external partners such as International College Portsmouth and the Southern Universities Network at their exhibition stand.

Attendees selected a second subject activity, from: 

• Business and Management: Sustainability in Practice

Join us for an inside look at how Business and Management courses are adapting to the growing focus on sustainability and the new career opportunities this creates for young people. We’ll explore the different pathways available to learners and hear from lecturers who’ll share how our programmes help students build confidence, develop real-world skills, and move smoothly into further study or the workplace. It’s a great chance to see how we’re preparing the next generation for a changing business world.

• Construction: Digital Transformation and Practice

A journey from everyday tech use to building complex structures, shaping the places we live and work. Ever wondered why clipboards, spreadsheets and drawings still survive in construction when the industry claims to be high-tech? Our session will show how generational digital confidence and creativity can energise change. We’ll outline entry routes into our built environment degree programmes accredited by CIOB, ICE, RICS and other professional bodies, progression into creative design, site management, digital coordination and quantity surveying, and share labour-market insights on modern construction methods and the future skills driving tomorrow’s engineers, project managers and surveyors.

• Renewable Energy Engineering: Fuels of the Future

Come and discuss the future of fuels and energy with a sample of our hands-on hydrogen power session. In this workshop, we will look at how hydrogen and battery power will be used in different applications and industries, discuss the jobs available in the renewable sector and look at our Renewable Energy Engineering course and the opportunities which come with it.

• Geography: Where Land Meets Sea

Join us for an exciting session exploring how Portsmouth’s unique coastline shapes the way people live, work and play. Put yourself in the shoes of your future learners and get hands-on with an interactive coastal mapping activity and uncover the real social, economic and environmental challenges facing our city today. Come see how studying Geography at the University of Portsmouth can help your learners shape the future of our coastal communities.

• Geology and Earth Science: Beyond rocks -resourcing the green energy transition

Geology is everywhere in the school curriculum, woven through geography, science and dedicated geology courses. This interactive session will highlight where Earth science topics appear across these subjects and why they matter. We’ll explore the critical role of geology in securing mineral resources for the green energy transition, managing water and geothermal energy and understanding geological hazards. Participants will take part in hands-on activities designed to bring geology to life in the classroom and support teaching across multiple curriculum areas. 

• Law: Unlock the Courtroom

Step into the shoes of a real lawyer in this interactive courtroom workshop based on the fictional case of R v Butler. You’ll analyse evidence, question witnesses and build a defence strategy to uncover the truth. This fast-paced, hands-on session shows how advocacy, teamwork and problem-solving are developed in our LLB Law programmes. We’ll also cover entry routes, progression into careers as solicitors or barristers, and current labour market trends in legal services, giving you practical insights to share with learners.

• Mechanical and Design Engineering: Teaching with VR

Discover how virtual reality can be applied to teach and enhance the work of mechanical and design engineers. During the session, you will have the chance to have a look at an engineering 3D model using a VR headset with the support of our staff and try out some 3D analysis, modelling and sketching features in a live VR 3D modelling environment. We’ll also cover entry routes into mechanical and design programmes, progression into design, manufacturing and simulation and share labour market insights on engineering skills sectors.

• Sociology: Young People, Social Media and Relationships

Experience a taster lecture exploring ways in which social media is changing our lives and how we relate to each other, with a particular focus on young people, looking at themes of gender, intimacy, emotions and inequalities. The audience will be invited to consider what they feel the pros and cons of social media are and how it affects their lives and those of young people. The session will also include an overview of the benefits of a sociology degree at Portsmouth and the exciting opportunities for personal, academic and professional development it unlocks.

• Parallel session 1: Dr Alex Blower - Boys’ Impact (CPD-certified session)

As a young man, Alex experienced challenges with mental ill health and exclusion from school. In this session, he shone a light on the educational implications of growing up in a working-class town as a young carer to a dad with issues related to mental health and addiction.

Using lived experience as a vehicle to contextualise contemporary challenges related to masculinity, education and inequality, he shared learning and understanding from a journey which includes completing a PhD, becoming an author, founding Boys’ Impact, and becoming recognised as a global leader in work to address the challenges facing boys and young men from working-class communities. 

• Parallel session 2: Generative AI in Practice: Empowering Educators for the Next Chapter of Learning (CPD-certified session)

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly visible part of teaching, learning, and assessment, bringing both exciting possibilities and important challenges for the Further Education sector. This 45-minute session took a broad look at the opportunities AI presents, alongside the ethical questions and practical considerations it raises for educators and learners.

We explored a range of emerging uses of AI in teaching and learning, reflected on how students are experiencing and perceiving these tools, and discussed what responsible implementation might look like in educational contexts. 

Attendees picked up teachers' resource packs on their way out.

It is the 2027 Teachers and Advisers' Conference, taking place in May 2027. The exact date and times are to be confirmed.

In person on the University of Portsmouth campus. It is accessible via train, bus, or water transport, with student helpers on site.

Teachers, careers advisers, and other school/college staff who support students with higher education choices, post-16/18 pathways, and careers education.

Yes, attendance is completely free, and it includes refreshments and a networking lunch.

The programme for our 2027 is to be confirmed (and will be updated on this page), but you can take a look at our 2026 event programme for an idea of what to expect.

It included arrival with refreshments and a teacher's resource pack, a welcome from the university (covering unconditional offers and league tables), a keynote by John Yarham (CEO of The Careers and Enterprise Company), parallel subject insight sessions (morning and afternoon choices), networking lunch with exhibitors, and two afternoon expert CPD-certified parallel sessions (one on boys’ educational impact, one on generative AI in education). 

Lunch exhibition

Attendees could meet University of Portsmouth support teams during lunch, including Admissions, Careers, Student Money, Wellbeing, Disability Advice, Housing and Global teams, alongside external partners such as International College Portsmouth and the Southern Universities Network at their exhibition stand. 

Our 2027 subject insight sessions are yet to be confirmed, and will be updated on this page.

In 2026, attendees selected one morning and one afternoon session.

Morning options covered areas like Architecture/Art & Design, Biological Sciences, Business Computing, Dental/Healthcare, Education, Film and TV, Languages, Maths/Physics, Performing Arts, Restart a Heart, and Sport.

Afternoon options included Business and Management, Construction, Renewable Energy Engineering, Geography, Geology/Earth Science, Law, Mechanical and Design Engineering, and Sociology.

Sessions included practical activities, entry/progression insights, labour market information, and taster experiences.

The key speakers for our 2027 event are yet to be confirmed, and will be updated on this page.

Updates on HE and careers sectors, subject-specific pathways and labour market insights, practical tools/tips for supporting students, ideas for classroom use (e.g., AI, ethics, lifesaving skills, VR), networking opportunities, and a resource pack.

Use the 'Register your interest' link below. 

Register your interest

Yes—subject insight sessions are capped at 15 bookings each, so early registration is strongly advised.

Yes—a free networking lunch with exhibitors is included.

The programme is designed as a full day, but the structure allows some flexibility around parallel sessions. If you have questions about attendance please contact schoolsandcolleges@port.ac.uk.

It focuses on real-world insights into university entry, course pathways, careers in various sectors (including emerging areas like renewables, AI, sustainability), challenges like unconditional offers, and tools for advising on decisions influenced by league tables or personal circumstances.

The conference will help you feel more confident and informed when supporting students with their next steps, with practical insight you can apply straight away. It supports delivery of key Gatsby Benchmarks, including Benchmark 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8, helping you strengthen your careers programme while providing more personalised, impactful guidance for students.

Email schoolsandcolleges@port.ac.uk for updates, preferences, accessibility needs, or questions. Your data will be used for event communications (opt-out available).

Yes—on the day you'll receive a teachers’ resource pack. If you have opted to receive follow up communications, we regularly share updates to inform your practice or share related webinars/resources for your students.