Skills Fest in Leeds celebrates career growth and development

Our Programme Director Gregg Hutchings had the privilege of being the first guest speaker at Leeds Building Society’s Skills Fest 2026.

The festival saw more than 770 employees engage in a week-long celebration of skills, development and career growth.

Across the week, sessions covered artificial intelligence, coaching, leadership, apprenticeships, resilience and lifelong learning. These were supported by practical workshops helping colleagues to identify and develop the skills needed to succeed in a changing world of work.

As part of the opening session, Gregg joined a discussion where he talked about skills trends in financial services, and why learning and workforce development are at the heart of the sector’s future success.

Reflecting on his visit to Skills Fest, Gregg said: “Continuous learning and workforce development are integral to the future success of the financial services sector. Having worked with our member firm Leeds Building Society for several years, we know the value that they place on skills development for their own people, as well as naturing the next generation of talent.

“It was a privilege to invited as the first guest speaker at Skills Fest; an event that demonstrated how skills development is relevant to everyone in the business. I met with a great cross-section of people from the business and there was a palpable sense of energy in the room, as colleagues explored new opportunities for progression and chances to mobilise their careers.”