From education to employment

100k young, diverse talents to start ADventures into the advertising, marketing and communications industries 

Person on a laptop

ADventure, a schools outreach programme spearheaded by Brixton Finishing School and its network of leading industry partners including Mail Metro Media, KFC  and WPP, plus organisations including Common People and Founders4Schools, continues to diversify the talent pipeline at a crucial  stage when young people consider their career choices. 

With the goal of reaching 100k schoolchildren aged between 14 and 18 from under-represented backgrounds in its pilot year, the initiative sees Brixton Finishing School alumni and industry supporters return to their schools to deliver an inspiring career talk highlighting the various roles within the industry, many of which do not need a degree to succeed in.  

Founder of Brixton Finishing School Ally Owen commented: 

It can feel easier to locate and  enter Hogwarts than the ad industry – the route in can be as mythical as Platform 9 which  only reveals itself to the chosen few a couple of times a year. ADventure works to resolve this,  creating much needed awareness, a clear pathway to success and a community of fellow  ADventurers who will enjoy enriching encounters and content from our partners so when they  are of an age to join us on our courses, The ADcademy or Brixton Finishing School, they know its a place built  for them, to help them win a role. 

Rewiring our future talent pipeline is an urgent (and long term) project. ADventure is the first  step on this new pathway and is designed to support dismantling inequitable legacy routes in.  By building out a family of programs designed to deliver access based on merit, Brixton Finishing School aims to rewrite the talent blueprint for the industry so its representative of  the consumers it serves.  

A teacher at Burntwood School, Wandsworth shared the following feedback after their talk:

I just wanted to share some feedback. A student came to see me today and said how inspired she was by your talk and how she had never thought about advertising before, but that it really sounded interesting and good for her skill set. She wanted to make sure that if we do a trip to your offices, that I include her. It’s what makes my job worthwhile and am sure you will enjoy that too.

ADventure continues throughout 2022.

Interested schools can sign up here and the Brixton Finishing School team will match you with an inspiring speaker.


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