LIFI Futures is complete. Meet the final two events

With the festival two and a half weeks away, the Leeds International Festival of Ideas 2026 programme is now complete. The final two events belong to LIFI Futures, the new strand for young people that grew out of last year’s single schools event into four across the week, and they tackle the two questions we hear most from 16 to 19 year olds in Leeds: what is an apprenticeship really, and why is getting a job so hard?

Why does no one talk about apprenticeships?

Wednesday 7 October, 11am to 12pm, Rock Void, Leeds Playhouse. In conjunction with Weightmans and Luminate Education Group.

Practical skills are more valuable than ever, yet apprenticeships are still widely misunderstood. What exactly is an apprenticeship? How do you get one? And can it really lead to a well paid, rewarding career?

More young people than ever are choosing degree apprenticeships to get higher level qualifications without the university debt, but there is still plenty of confusion about what apprenticeships actually involve. This panel busts the myths, answers the questions and reveals why landing an apprenticeship, across a huge range of professions, could be a smart alternative to school or university.

Larry Budd hosts. He is joined by Laura Collins, Editor-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post; Kelly-Marie McAllistair, Group Director of Apprenticeships at Leeds City College; Libby Morgan, Apprentice Solicitor at Weightmans LLP; and Paula Willoughby, Apprenticeships Manager at Morrisons.

What no one told you about getting a job

Thursday 8 October, 11am to 12pm, Courtyard Theatre, Leeds Playhouse. In partnership with Luminate Education Group.

Roughly 1 in 8 young people in the UK are now classed as NEET, not in employment, education or training, one of the worst rates in Europe. As tackling the issue continues to be a top government priority, this event asks why getting a foot on the career ladder is so hard today and who is really to blame.

Have young people switched off? Are there fewer jobs? Or is the education system just not delivering the right skills? This panel of employers and training experts unpick a disjointed system and offer practical ways to build a better, more positive route from school into work.

Broadcaster and documentary maker Rima Ahmed hosts. She is joined by motivational speaker Mushy Asghar; Kathryn Curran, Early Careers and Youth Skills, Next Gen Talent at Lloyds Banking Group; Nad Ghani, Recruitment Lead at Morrisons; Kate O’Connell, Director of Leeds Health and Care Academy and Strategic Workforce, NHS; and Katie Rankin, Emerging Talent and Careers Manager at Jet2.

The full LIFI Futures programme

Why does no one talk about apprenticeships? Wednesday 7 October, 11:30, Rock Void. Free for schools and colleges.

Is maths the root of everything? Wednesday 7 October, 12, hosted by Rachel Riley MBE, marking Leeds as the UK’s first City of Maths. Ticketed.

What no one told you about getting a job. Thursday 8 October, 11, Courtyard Theatre. Free for schools and colleges.

How to be unapologetically you? Friday 9 October, 12:30, Quarry Theatre, hosted by Shanequa Paris with Tasha Ghouri, Dr Radha Modgil, Ash Palmisciano and Stevie Ward. Free for schools and colleges.

Places at the free LIFI Futures events are booked through schools and colleges.