of the UAE working-age population uses AI.
Microsoft AI Diffusion Report, 2026
YOUTHCONNECT HUB × BRIGHTON COLLEGE ABU DHABI
Youth ConnectForum 2026
Youth, Opportunity and the Future of Work
A one-day forum connecting young people with the distinctly human capabilities shaping learning, work and opportunity.
THE EVIDENCE
A changing route into work
Three signals behind a forum built for action, confidence and informed choices.
growth in entry-level roles requiring prior experience.
Stradaemployers identify analytical thinking as an essential skill.
World Economic Forum, 2025Full evidence links and the downloadable evidence brief will be added before registration opens.
WHY THIS FORUM EXISTS
The professions are growing while the entrances to them are narrowing.
Artificial intelligence is changing how early-career work is organised, assessed and accessed. Young people need more than information: they need real problems, industry voices, meaningful feedback and the confidence to act.
Youth Connect Forum 2026 is a one-day forum designed to connect learning with opportunity and help participants recognise the capabilities that remain distinctly human.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
AI and the Future of Work.
This keynote address will detail AI-enabled trends impacting the future of work. We will consider what makes learning valuable in a world of expanding machine capabilities. It will offer practical lifelong-learning strategies to help young people strengthen the human capabilities explored at Youth Connect Forum 2026, navigate continuous change and turn emerging opportunities into meaningful pathways of thriving.
Nancy W. Gleason, PhD
Read Nancy W. Gleason’s biography
Nancy W. Gleason, PhD is Professor of Practice, Political Science at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in the United Arab Emirates. She is also Director of Academic Excellence where she works on AI-integration in student success, pedagogy, and workflows. Dr. Gleason is globally recognized for her expertise in guiding institutions and industries in adopting AI-enabled technology, responsibly to advance workforce transformation. Her research focuses on the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s impact on the future of work. Her most recent book is titled Humans PLUS Technology: Global Youth Insights on the Future of Work (Ethics International Press, 2025). Dr. Gleason holds a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; MSc from London School of Economics; and a BA from George Washington University.
SIX SIGNATURE PROGRAMMES
A day designed for active participation
Every part of the forum turns conversation into something participants can use.
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EXHIBITION
The BCAD Showcase
A Brighton College Abu Dhabi-curated exhibition across three zones: Creative Arts, Computing and Robotics, and Design Technology. Open from registration through the closing session, including breaks and lunch.
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PANELS
The Expertise Shift & Building Enduring Expertise
Panel 1, The Expertise Shift, examines how professional expertise is changing as AI reshapes routine cognitive tasks. Panel 2, Building Enduring Expertise, focuses on the deeply human capabilities employers rank most highly, grounded in WEF and QS evidence.
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WORKSHOPS
Breakout Sessions
A diverse set of parallel breakout workshops, students choosing their own track. Themes span Minds Under Pressure wellbeing, resilience and human connection under pressure alongside AI-driven entrepreneurship and building, where students test real ideas, build prototypes and defend their thinking. A dedicated parent stream workshop runs alongside, giving parents practical strategies of their own rather than a holding session.
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PATHWAYS
The Career Pathways Map
University counsellors and industry practitioners together, moving students from rigid job titles to transferable skill sets – with sourced economic evidence to support subject and course choices for parents. Students complete a personal pathway pledge; parents receive a one-page take-home guide.
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FIRESIDE
Storytelling, Resilience & Leadership
A facilitated fireside conversation exploring how storytelling, resilience and human connection shape identity, leadership and career direction. Format and voices to be confirmed closer to the day.
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BUILD LAB
AI Build Lab: Build in 60 Minutes
Working in small teams, students take a real community problem from idea to a working prototype – using AI to build faster, then explaining and defending what it produced. That defence is where Youth Connect Forum 2026 comes to life. Teams pitch their prototype to the room.
THE FORUM EXPERIENCE
Ideas become conversations.
A considered mix of stage moments, workshops and connections from the previous YOUthConnect forum.
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PAST-FORUM HIGHLIGHT
See the room come alive
A brief glimpse of the conversations, questions and shared energy that shape the forum experience.
ONE FORUM, THREE PERSPECTIVES
Built for the people shaping a young person’s next step
For students
Prototype ideas, meet mentors, understand your strengths and build evidence of the capabilities that universities and employers increasingly value.
For parents
Explore labour-market evidence, subject choices, cost and return, and practical ways to support young people without increasing anxiety.
For educators & employers
Host a challenge, mentor or judge a team, contribute to curriculum conversations and help young people connect learning with real opportunity.
PROGRAMME CO-HOST
Brighton CollegeAbu Dhabi
Brighton College Abu Dhabi combines academic excellence with a holistic approach that develops confidence, curiosity, character and the life skills young people need to thrive. As co-host of the Forum, the College helps create a powerful bridge between education, future opportunity and the world beyond school.
Presented byYOUthConnect HubProgramme co-hostBrighton College Abu Dhabi
Future generations will be living in a world that is very different from that to which we are accustomed. It is essential that we prepare ourselves and our children for that new world.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al NahyanFounding Father of the United Arab Emirates
SATURDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2026
Bring your curiosity. Leave with a clearer next step.
Registration is required. Places will be limited and allocated by school. Register now to receive programme and attendance updates.