About BRILLIANT Festival

Connecting education and industry.

What is BRILLIANT Festival?

BRILLIANT is designed to bring education and industry together in a way that is practical, inspiring, and genuinely useful.

Too often, the worlds of education and work operate in parallel rather than together. Teachers are preparing young people for careers that are evolving rapidly, while employers are searching for talent with the skills, curiosity, and adaptability needed for the future. BRILLIANT exists to bridge that gap.

The festival creates a space where educators, employers, innovators and policymakers can share ideas, explore new approaches to learning, and build meaningful partnerships. It is not a traditional conference. Instead, BRILLIANT focuses on conversations, workshops, and real examples of how collaboration between education and industry can transform opportunities for young people.

Across the day, attendees will hear from leading voices in education, business, and technology. They will explore new ways of thinking about skills, curriculum, careers education, and the role of employers in shaping learning. Most importantly, they will leave with practical ideas and connections they can take back into their work.

BRILLIANT is about possibility and aims to show what happens when schools and industry work together to create better pathways for the next generation.

For teachers and education leaders

For teachers and education professionals, BRILLIANT offers a chance to step beyond the day-to-day pressures of the classroom and reconnect with the wider purpose of education.

As one of the most forward-thinking education events in the UK, the festival explores how schools can prepare students not only for exams, but for life beyond education.

The programme focuses on practical ideas around skills, careers education, curriculum innovation and meaningful employer engagement. Sessions are designed to help educators connect classroom learning with real-world opportunities.

On the day you will:

  • Discover practical ways to bring real-world learning into the classroom

  • Learn how schools are building successful partnerships with employers

  • Hear from educators leading innovative projects across the UK

  • Explore ideas around future skills, creativity, technology and STEAM education

  • Connect with teachers and leaders facing the same challenges and opportunities

Teachers leave BRILLIANT with new perspectives, practical strategies, and valuable connections that support their work back in school.

  • It’s amazing to see so many passionate school leaders, teachers, and innovators all coming together to share ideas, spark creativity, and shape the future of education.”

    – Emma Walsh, Milk Education

  • “Imagine a space where educators, innovators, industry leaders and technologists collide to build the future of learning and work together. That’s what happened. ✨ The golden thread throughout was unmistakable: skills are the beating heart of our future. In a world shaped by AI, the uniquely human abilities of creativity, critical thinking, empathy, and collaboration are the ones that matter most. AI is not coming for our jobs; it’s coming to our jobs, and it’s up to us to use it wisely.”

    – Kelly Corlett, The Skills Academy

For industry and employers

BRILLIANT welcomes employers who want to play a meaningful role in shaping the future workforce.

Many organisations recognise the importance of supporting education but are unsure how to build partnerships that genuinely benefit schools and students. BRILLIANT creates the opportunity to connect directly with educators and explore practical ways to collaborate.

At the festival, industry leaders can gain insight into how schools are developing skills, preparing students for the future of work, and where employers can make the greatest impact.

On the day you will:

  • Understand the challenges and opportunities facing education today

  • Discover ways your organisation can engage with schools and young people

  • Meet teachers and school leaders seeking industry partnerships

  • Explore how businesses are supporting skills development and careers education

  • Connect with organisations driving innovation across education and industry

For employers, BRILLIANT is not simply about recruitment. It is about building stronger links between education and the workplace to help young people understand opportunities and develop the skills they will need.

An event focused on the future of learning

At its heart, BRILLIANT is about bringing together people who care about the future of education.

Teachers gain insights into emerging industries and skills. Employers gain a deeper understanding of how schools prepare students. Together, they can create partnerships that inspire young people and open new pathways into work.

By bringing education and industry into the same room, BRILLIANT helps turn ideas into action and conversations into collaboration.

Who should attend BRILLIANT?

1. Teachers and educators

Teachers looking for new ideas, classroom inspiration and ways to connect learning with real-world careers.

2. School leaders

Headteachers, senior leaders and curriculum leads exploring how schools can develop skills, careers education and industry partnerships.

3. Careers leaders and enrichment co-ordinators

Professionals responsible for careers guidance, employer engagement and student pathways beyond school.

4. Education organisations and charities

Organisations working to support schools, innovation in learning, or improved access to opportunity.

5. Employers and industry leaders

Businesses interested in supporting education, developing future talent and building meaningful partnerships with schools.

6. Policymakers and education innovators

Those shaping the future of education through policy, research and new approaches to learning.

Why attend BRILLIANT?

Education conferences and teaching events provide an opportunity to step away from daily routines and think more broadly about the future of learning.

For many educators, professional development events are where the most valuable ideas, conversations and collaborations begin. They create time to reflect on challenges, discover new approaches and connect with others facing similar opportunities.

BRILLIANT takes this a step further by bringing industry into the conversation.

Rather than focusing only on education, the festival explores how schools and employers can work together to support students as they move towards future careers. This makes the event particularly valuable for educators interested in skills development, careers education and real-world learning.

Attending BRILLIANT allows participants to:

  • Hear from leading voices across education and industry

  • Discover innovative teaching approaches and collaborative projects

  • Explore how emerging industries are shaping future skills

  • Build relationships with organisations working with schools

  • Leave with practical ideas that can be applied immediately

Most importantly, events like BRILLIANT create momentum. They bring together people who share a commitment to improving education and helping young people succeed.

REGISTER TODAY

Tuesday 10th November 2026 8.30AM - 5PM

BRILLIANT brings together educators, technology innovators and industry leaders to explore how education must evolve to prepare students for the future of work.

Exhibition Centre, ACC Liverpool L3 4FP