On Monday 9 November, we'll be at the ISE Early Talent Intelligence Summit 2026 at The King's Fund in London, joining early careers leaders, emerging talent managers and talent acquisition professionals for a day focused on turning data into better early careers decisions.
The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) brings the early careers community together around one big question this year: how can talent intelligence, workforce data and people analytics help organisations hire, develop and retain graduates and apprentices more effectively? It's a question at the heart of what we do.
Why we're attending the ISE Early Talent Intelligence Summit
Early careers programmes are where an organisation's future capability is built. Yet many early talent teams are being asked to prove the value of their graduate, apprentice and school-leaver programmes while budgets tighten and AI-driven transformation reshapes entry-level roles.
We are looking forward to connecting with early careers managers and emerging talent leaders, with a particular focus on financial services so that we can understand how teams are using data to shape their early talent strategy, and to share how a data-driven approach to learning and development can help new joiners build future-ready skills faster.
For us, the summit is about listening, learning and bringing fresh insight back to the organisations we support.
Key themes at the ISE Early Talent Intelligence Summit 2026
The programme explores how data can support every stage of the early talent lifecycle, from attraction and recruitment through to development, performance and progression. These are the themes we're most interested in.
Talent intelligence for early careers. The keynote looks at how talent intelligence techniques can show which employers you really compete with for graduates and where your early talent goes when it leaves. Better market insight leads to smarter decisions on intake, campus strategy and programme design.
Skills data and capability. Several sessions challenge the idea of a simple skills gap. Joining up recruitment, behavioural skills and programme data can show whether new joiners need development or already have capability they aren't being given the chance to use.
Workforce intelligence and strategic workforce planning. Senior people leaders will discuss combining internal workforce data with external labour market intelligence to anticipate future skills needs and align people strategy with business goals.
Proving the impact and ROI of early careers. Most organisations are rich in early talent data but still struggle to show whether their programmes help people contribute faster. Measuring development, progression and contribution, not just attendance and retention, is becoming essential.
The business case for early careers in the age of AI. With budget pressure and AI changing entry-level work, early careers leaders need an evidence-based case for continued investment in graduate and apprentice programmes as a critical workforce planning lever.
AI and digital capability. Benchmarking early talent's AI and digital skills against industry peers helps organisations target learning and development where it matters most, rather than relying on generic training.
Why early talent intelligence matters in financial services
Financial services firms invest heavily in graduate and apprentice recruitment, but the real differentiator is what happens after day one. With AI and automation changing junior work first, new joiners need to build technical, digital and commercial skills faster than ever.
The firms getting this right treat early careers as a data-driven HR priority. They know which capabilities their graduates bring, where the development gaps sit and which learning experiences translate into long-term performance and retention. That evidence turns early careers from a cost line into a strategic investment in a future-ready, digital workforce.
With a large share of the summit audience working in financial services, it's the ideal room to compare notes on what's working.
Meet us at the ISE Early Talent Intelligence Summit
If you're attending and want to talk about early careers development, graduate programmes or building future-ready skills in financial services, we'd love to meet. Get in touch with Ben to grab a coffee between sessions.
The conversation doesn't stop there. Join our early careers webinar the following day, Tuesday 10 November, and follow us on LinkedIn for our key takeaways from the summit.
