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The report draws on a survey of 6,206 students across 37 countries and summarises multiple pressures that young people, schools, universities and employers are all facing.
Young people are worried about how “deeply” they’re learning
80% of students surveyed feel confident they will use AI tools effectively and responsibly. However, 82% worry that AI helps them work faster while learning less deeply. That same concern was above 75% in every major country surveyed.
Employers want evidence of what candidates can do
Fast-moving industries are "increasingly moving from task-based hiring towards evidence of reasoning, authenticity, applied AI use and human judgement." Young people need ways to show those skills in real work settings and HP has adapted its own recruitment to match. All virtual interviews are now on camera, pre-screening asks for candidates' real project experience, structured STAR-method interviews assess core competencies separately from technical skills, and AI fluency is tested in depth throughout.
Assessment remains the biggest challenge
The report calls assessment "the biggest bottleneck, and the biggest lever" in skills education. It warns that without consistent assessment, "it will be very difficult for employers to benchmark these skills."
Springpod’s case study, featured on pages 78-82 of the report, looks at how Virtual Work Experience connects students with employers at scale and enables them to demonstrate durable skills. Our programmes are employer-funded and free for 13 to 21-year-olds, with no minimum qualification requirements. Students complete interactive tasks and job simulations we co-design with employers including Jaguar Land Rover, Amazon, Siemens and Barclays, building a portfolio of evidence over time.
The report also looks at how Springpod programmes lead to real-world opportunities and change. 60% of our employer partners now use our Virtual Work Experience to headhunt for in-person roles. Among Airbus programme participants who have since left school, 43% progressed into a STEM or aerospace-related course or job. On top of that, in 2025, our programmes generated £325 million in social value, a social return on investment of 45 to 1.
Speaking to HP for the report, our co-founder and CEO Sam Hyams said access "is heavily tilted towards those with strong family and school networks, and comes with barriers of geography, cost of travel and flexibility. We aim to solve this at scale, democratising access to work experience."
The HP Futures 2026 report, at its core, is about how we can equip young people with the skills they'll need for a future of work shaped by AI. Human skills like creativity and communication are becoming increasingly valuable as foundational skills, whilst AI literacy is built on top as an enabling layer.
The demand is for young people to be equipped with both. However, what the report finds is that education systems aren’t prioritising teaching these skills, and employers have no reliable way to benchmark them.
Young people will need both, but durable skills come first. Yet the report finds education systems still don't consistently teach or assess these skills, and employers have no reliable way to benchmark them.
Through offerings like Micro Internships, career experiences and skills experiences, young people build their AI skills and their durable soft skills side by side. They use AI to research and think through real problems, while developing the creativity, judgement and communication employers are looking for. Most importantly, they reflect on what they’ve learned, so they can talk about their skills with confidence.
Thank you to HP and The Education Leaders Forum for including Springpod in their HP Futures 2026 report, alongside schools, universities and organisations from around the globe. At Springpod, we believe that changing young people’s lives can only happen if we work collaboratively, and we look forward to making it so more young people have the skills and experiences needed to be prepared for the future of work.
You can read the full HP Futures 2026 report at hpfutures.com.
