Episode 63: Employability Academy

Amy Cusack chats with Lauren Bumstead and Kev Sadler from Portsmouth City Council about their roles in the Careers & Progression team, supporting Care Experienced young people and NEETs, launching Employability Academy in partnership with Shaping Portsmouth, and the positive impact it had on those who attended.

Apprenticeship Bus rolls into schools next week

Shaping Portsmouth’s Apprenticeship Bus is back on the road for National Apprenticeship Week 2025. Every year, the Apprenticeship Bus embarks on a three-day roadshow across the city of Portsmouth, bringing apprentices from local businesses and organisations directly to senior schools. This initiative enables Year 10-11 students an opportunity to engage with apprentices, face to face, […]

Episode 70: Road From Karachi

In this episode, Charla Grant talks to Nadia Arab, Founder of Road From Karachi, about growing up in Portsmouth, her mother launching a cookery school in the 80s, rediscovering her recipes and publishing them with her own contributions in Road From Karachi, and the amazing charity work that came from it,running workshops in the city and donating clean water pumps across the world.

Nominate your Inspirational Women of Portsmouth

  Who inspires you ? Do you know a woman in Portsmouth who inspires others through her passion, leadership, or dedication? It’s time to recognize her! Nominations are now open for the Pamodzi Creatives Inspirational Women of Portsmouth Awards 2025, and we need your help to shine a light on the amazing women making a […]

Sir Ben Ainslie to speak at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference 2025

Shaping Portsmouth are delighted to announce that Sir Ben Ainslie will be our Keynote Speaker at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference in January. Sir Ben is CEO of Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. He is also the most successful Olympic sailor in history, with four golds and one silver medal, gained in a 16-year span from […]

Episode 74: Amanda Martin MP Vs Portsmouth Youth Cabinet

Recorded live at the Shaping Portsmouth Conference on Friday 16th January 2026, Education Pillar Director Hayden Taylor talks to Maheep Kaur, about her roles as Member of the UK Youth Parliament for Portsmouth and on the Executive Committee of the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet, then Hayden and Maheep are joined by Theo Proca to interview Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North.

Episode 75: Katy Sexton

CEO Dave Humphries speaks to Katy about taking part in the Shaping Conference, how she went from joining Portsmouth Northsea Swimming Club at age six to swimming at an elite level and beyond, how training prepared her for parenthood and life in general, and her current project promoting water safety with The Gogglehedz.

Episode 76: Apprenticeship Bus Special – Part 1

As we prepare for National Apprenticeship Week next week, it’s the first part of our Apprenticeship Bus Special! Charla Grant chats with apprentices Katie House from Specsavers, Jake Bull from KBS Maritime, and Lauren Spooner from Portsmouth City Council about why they chose the Apprenticeship route and their experiences on the Apprenticeship Bus.

Shaped By Solent partners with the Mary Rose Museum

Shaped By Solent returns for 2024 and this year we are thrilled to announce the programme is being delivered in partnership with The Mary Rose Museum and Solent Academies Trust. This popular programme is an opportunity for our Business community to give back to our local SEND schools allowing participating students an opportunity to engage […]

Launching the Shaping Portsmouth Podcast!

We are pleased to announce that Wednesday 14th August saw the launch of the Shaping Portsmouth Podcast! Releasing weekly, the podcast will give you an insight into the Shaping team, the work our programmes are doing, our partners, and the great things happening across the city. The podcast is made possible thanks to our new […]