Academy for apprenticeships in advertising and marketing to open within Digbeth Estate

The&Partnership has announced that The Digbeth Estate will be the home of their latest venture, The&Academy.

The&Partnership is one of the world’s fastest growing marketing networks. They are an independent creative agency working across advertising, marketing and digital creative practices. The multi-disciplinary group also runs the &Model, which brings together diverse teams with blended skillsets.

The new training academy will be launched with mSix&Partners, as a joint venture media network between The&Partnership and GroupM. The&Academy will also be delivered by Multiverse, a provider of apprenticeship programmes, with a view to establishing the first ever Centre of Excellence for media and creative specialties in Birmingham’s creative quarter. With its base in Birmingham’s iconic Custard Factory, The&Academy will provide full-time training and work experience to the next generation of talent within media, technology and the creative industries.

It will offer accessible earn-while-you-learn training and work experience within the advertising industry for underrepresented groups. Throughout its year-long course, the curriculum will include the fundamental standards within the creative industries and will incorporate training from some of the biggest names in media and technology by partnering with Google, Meta and TikTok.

The&Academy will aim to resolve current issues faced by the creative and advertising industries, such as an industry-wide skills shortage and a lack of talent and diversity. During its first year, the scheme will provide training for up to 25 apprentices aged between 16-24 who live a commutable distance from Birmingham. Following this, the aim is to expand to 100 apprentices. At the end of the course, the apprentices will transition into either part-time or full-time work with either mSix&Partners or The&Partnership.

James Craig, Founding Partner of Oval Real Estate, said,

“We are so pleased to announce that The&Partnership have chosen The Digbeth Estate as the location for their first venture with The&Academy. Digbeth is fast becoming a hub for creative business and this latest addition to the education sector in the area is a great win. We can’t wait to see the results of The&Academy and watch the long lasting, positive impact on both the area and the industry.”

Daniel Wardle, Programme Director of The&Academy, said,

“It’s so exciting to be launching The&Academy in Birmingham. The&Partnership is one of the largest media businesses in the world and we felt that within our sector, Birmingham has often been overlooked in favour of London. We knew there was plenty of untapped potential and overlooked talent in the region and we wanted to find the right location for a long-term project. The Digbeth Estate is the ideal spot as it’s always had a reputation for innovation and creative thinking which aligns with how we see ourselves as an agency. The Custard Factory is an iconic building, and the area has a rich history and lots of creative credentials, too. I grew up in Birmingham so it’s great to be launching this project back home. We can’t wait to bring The&Academy to life.”