Innovate North 2026

Innovate North 2026 took place on Wednesday 17th June at Bradford College. Now in its second year, the event has grown into something we are really proud of. Last year it was very much about us, sharing our own digital transformation journey at Bradford College, the tools we use, the impact we have seen and the challenges we have overcome along the way. This year we wanted to take that a step further and open it up, inviting colleagues from other institutions to run sessions alongside us. That meant our delegates heard from Manchester College, Heart of Yorkshire Education Group and Leeds City College, as well as our brilliant partners.

The event featured the following sessions:

• Pause. Question. Decide. — Practical AI Routines for Critical Thinking in FE (Aleks House)

• Design Smarter, Not Harder: Using Microsoft Copilot Teach to Plan, Assess, and Differentiate Learning (Microsoft — Clara Heppleston)

• Connected Communities: Exploring Digital Tech to Bridge the Digital Gap (Seima Mahmood & Craig Clarkson, Bradford College)

• Leading Meaningful Digital Transformation at The Manchester College (Alison Cunningham, Rajesh Mistry, Suad Kelkal & Louise McIntyre)

• Using Digital Influence Analysis to Shift Practice at Scale (Heart of Yorkshire Education Group — Rob Lea)

• Connected Classrooms of the Future + The 360 Learning Lab (ClassView — Robert Bailey + Bradford College — Michelle Swallow)

• Canva AI in Action: Magic Activities and Canva Code (Canva — Adwoa Mhango)

• Coding the College: Building Custom AI Solutions for FE with Google AI Studio (Shipley College — Luke Terry)

• From Barriers to Brilliance: Navigating the Digital Shift in ESOL Synchronous Learning (Leeds City College — Agnieszka Kulas & Gosia Tobolska)

• What is Edpuzzle and How Can It Help Me! (Edpuzzle — Rob Jones)

• Escape From Frankenstein or Fall to Pieces! (Bradford College Library — Emma Luby, James Golab & Alan Macintyre)

The day also featured an inspiring keynote from Alexandra Willans, who set the tone beautifully for the afternoon.

Partners:

We are incredibly grateful to Canva, Edpuzzle and Microsoft for their involvement in delivering sessions, to Jisc for sponsoring the food, and to Bodyswaps for providing drinks at the end of the day to encourage networking.

Quote from Monika Worthington, Learning Innovation Manager:

Innovate North is about so much more than sessions and presentations. It is about giving educators a space to come together, share, reflect and pick up ideas they can actually use. FE has one of the most incredible communities of practitioners I have ever come across, people who really want to help one another deliver the best possible teaching and learning for their learners.

It is also about access. Events like this can cost a lot of money to attend, and we never want that to be a barrier. Our mission is simple,  we do not want people from our region to be left behind. Everyone deserves the same opportunities to learn, grow and connect, and that is exactly what Innovate North is here for.”

Quote from Paul Richardson Head of Department: Learning, Development and Innovation:

“Innovate North 2026 exceeded all expectations. It brought together some of the most forward-thinking educators, practitioners and technology partners from across the region to share ideas that are genuinely transforming learning. The energy, collaboration and enthusiasm throughout the event was inspiring, and we are delighted to see so many delegates leaving with practical strategies and new partnerships that will ultimately benefit learners across the North.”