500 Northeast students will explore digital careers at Aspiration Digital’s second Newcastle conference

500 sixth-form and college students from across the North East are expected to attend the conference. This year’s event will be double the size of last year’s inaugural Aspiration Digital Newcastle event. Students will hear from industry professionals and explore career paths across digital, technology, UX, creative design and marketing

Aspiration Digital, the digital skills conference introducing young people to careers across the digital sector, is returning to Newcastle University Business School on Wednesday 4 November 2026.

The one-day event at the Frederick Douglass Centre on Newcastle Helix will bring together sixth-form, college students and NEET young people from across the North East. Attendees will hear from professionals, explore different routes into the digital sector and have the opportunity to connect with people already working in the industry.

This year’s Newcastle conference will be even larger than last year’s event, with the programme expanding to welcome students and NEET young people from across the region, by partnering with the Department for Work and Pensions. Covering a range of digital career paths, including UX, creative design, technology and marketing, the conference will allow students to learn more about roles they may not have encountered through traditional education.

Founded in 2018 by Becky Simms, CEO of Reflect Digital and Human First Collective, Aspiration Digital was created to introduce students aged 16-18 – as well as anyone beginning their digital career – to the diverse opportunities available in the digital industry. Its goal is to equip students with the knowledge, experience and career pathways needed to thrive.

The Newcastle event comes as Aspiration Digital continues to reach students from areas with lower social mobility prospects. Across its events nationally, 42% of attendees come from areas classified by the Social Mobility Commission as having below-average prospects for social mobility, while one in four students (25%) comes from the UK’s ‘Least Favourable’ regions.

95% of attendees at the 2025 Newcastle event came from areas classified as ‘Unfavourable’ or ‘Least Favourable’ for social mobility.

Becky Simms, CEO of Reflect Digital and Human First Collective and Founder of Aspiration Digital, said: “The talent in Newcastle is incredible, but if a young person can’t visualise a career path, they can’t pursue it. We want to stop careers in digital from being something local students just ‘stumble into.’

“By connecting students with real-world digital professionals, we are actively closing the digital inspiration gap. We need local businesses who care about diversity and social mobility to join us in building this bridge.”

Partnering with Newcastle-based Omnicom Media (OM) for a second year, with continued support from Sunderland Software City, Aspiration Digital is backed by some of the region’s most significant businesses. The event’s partners have opportunities to network with students and like-minded peers and deliver short TEDx-style talks or panels to the next generation of digital leaders.

Pete Coates, Managing Director at Omnicom Media (OM), is delighted to see Aspiration Digital return to Newcastle and said: “Aspiration Digital’s 2025 event was a privilege to be a part of, and we were so impressed with how many businesses, schools and students wanted to get involved. It’s clear that there is an appetite for this initiative and November’s event will build on this success, bringing students closer to the endless possibilities and exciting careers in the digital industry.”

A teacher that attended last year’s event commented “It’s been fast-paced, jam-packed, really interesting and insightful. I think the students have really enjoyed seeing the presenters. They’ve been really engaged and it’s been fantastic to see them walking around and finding out about all the careers that are available to them”.

Fiona Whitehurst, Associate Dean Engagement and Place at Newcastle University Business School, said: “Getting real-world experience, engaging with an industry and connecting with experts are some of the key values that we instil in our students at Newcastle University to prepare them for the world of work, so supporting Aspiration Digital and providing the backdrop for this unique initiative is something we wholeheartedly support.”

“These opportunities don’t come about often, and 16-18 year olds attending from across the region will benefit hugely by hearing directly from people in the digital sector and working out what career paths appeal to them while establishing the connections they need to make that happen.”

Newcastle is the first event of Aspiration Digital’s upcoming national tour, with the initiative continuing at De Montfort University in Leicester on 25 November, where organisers will welcome 375 local students. The initiative will return to the University of Kent in December, before heading to Bournemouth, Glasgow and Manchester in 2027.

Students and schools interested in attending future Aspiration Digital events can register their interest by joining the mailing list at Aspiration Digital.

Businesses interested in supporting Aspiration Digital as a sponsor, speaker or industry partner are encouraged to contact events@aspiration.digital.

Source: Aspiration Digital

  500 students, Aspiration Digital, Northeast, Omnicom Media (OM)