NextGen Fest is the younger sibling of the festival, which opened on Tuesday at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool, and young people can still take part and get a free pass for the main event
Liverpool’s International Business Festival is looking to energise and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs – and is teaming up with some of the UK’s best-known organisations to make it happen.
NextGen Fest is the younger sibling of the festival, which opened on Tuesday at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and runs until June 28. Aimed at young people aged 16-24, the festival-within-a-festival will consist of a series of presentations and workshops that will run throughout the three weeks of the main event.
Managed by festival headline sponsors HSBC, NextGen Fest will welcome representatives from leading charities such as Young Enterprise, the Prince’s Trust and Founders4Schools.
Attendees will receive expert guidance in a range of areas, including developing their personal brands and pitching their business ideas to investors.
Young people from schools, colleges and universities across the Liverpool city region are already committed to attend, whilst the invitation is also open to recent graduates looking to take their skills to the next level.
Jennifer Crawley, head of performance for Business Banking at HSBC UK, said: “We know that accessing a skilled workforce is one of the major challenges facing industry.
“We also know that there’s a real desire from young people for training and guidance that will make them really attractive to employers – or enable them to start their own businesses.
“That’s why we created NextGen Fest and its exciting and inspirational programme, which aims to give young people the skills they need to thrive in the world of work.”
Ian McCarthy, director of the International Business Festival, said: “The list of organisations involved in NextGen Fest reads like a roll call of the best that the UK has to offer young people in enterprise.”
NextGen Fest is calling on young people to sign up to attend. 16-24 year-olds are eligible for a free festival pass, which they can access by clicking here and registering with the code SOC1