Festival of Social Science 2026: Communities, Careers and Change

The Festival of Social Science comes to the Helen Martin Studio at the Warwick Arts Centre on Saturday 7 November, from 12:40 to 16:00. This year's session is titled Shaping our Future: Communities, Careers and Change, and it's part of the wider ESRC Festival of Social Science, organised by the University of Warwick's Research and Impact Services. It's also one of the events shared by Resonate, the festival run by the university as part of Coventry's UK City of Culture year.

The afternoon brings together researchers and practitioners to look at social challenges affecting people both locally and globally. The programme opens with Renters Rights and Housing Realities, a talk on the Renters Rights Act 2025. That's followed by Lives Disrupted, a session drawing on decades of research into homicide in England and Wales. The final part, Navigating Jobs, Skills and Careers, was developed by the Warwick Institute for Employment Research around the UK Standard Skills Classification, and the whole afternoon closes on how evolving skills and careers can help people navigate a changing world of work.

If you arrive early, there are interactive exhibits in the foyer to browse before the talks start. They cover a wide range of subjects, from nutrition misinformation to the cultural history of the breadfruit, so there's plenty to get stuck into before the main programme kicks off.

It's a free event for ages 16 and over, running from 12:40 to 16:00 at the Helen Martin Studio, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, CV4 7FD.