The Talent Prep Academy was founded in 2018 at the University of Buckingham as an early careers accelerator. The flagship event was the Leaders Symposium, delivered at the University of Buckingham. It was attended by the leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, the Mayor of Buckingham, Jon Harvey , Philip Smith, MBE and Hannah Graham from UK Youth. Young people from youth clubs, the local community and students from the university were in attendance. There was a networking session afterward and young people met all the guests. It was a resounding success that was covered by the local press.