Attracting new, diverse talent has long been a challenge in the advertising industry. There are many barriers to entry within the industry, one of the biggest remains an awareness problem. Each year, graduates that go through the Brixton Finishing School programme all say the same thing; they wish they knew the industry existed when they were at school. 

To help raise awareness and attract fresh new talent, the team behind Brixton Finishing School have joined forces with some of the industry’s biggest players, from WPP to Mail Metro Media, as well as organisations like Common People and Founders4Schools to create ADventure, a schools outreach programme that will reach 100K diverse talent in state schools nationwide from November.

The initiative will see Brixton Finishing School alumni, members of the Common People network, and industry supporters return to their schools to deliver an assembly highlighting the various roles within the industry. The aim is to reach young people when they’re considering their futures and showcase the vast array of opportunities the ad industry has to offer. 

"Advertising is an industry offering an immense variety of job and career opportunities, whether you're a strong communicator or someone loving statistics and maths. Yet, it has often been overlooked, particularly when supporting young people to evaluate future career options,” explains Michaela Eschbach, Managing Director at F4S. “Over the last year the industry has realised the importance of attracting young people from diverse backgrounds, as career pathways within the digital, creative and advertising industries can offer a broad range of choices for young people to pursue.”

From November, supporters of the project will be invited to return to their school or be partnered with a school with a diverse demographic, armed with a presentation highlighting the different roles young people can do. Students inspired to learn more will be invited to join the ‘ADventurers’ community, which will feature bitesize learning and career development tips. 

The project, which was named by brand consultancy Wolff Olins, aims to reach 100K students aged 14-18 in its pilot year.

Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton Finishing School explained “It can feel easier to locate and enter Hogwarts than the ad industry - the route in can be as mythical as Platform 9 ¾, 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 enter The AD-Cademy or Brixton Finishing School they know it’s a place built for them, to help them win a role.”

She continues, “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 it’s representative of the consumers it serves.”

To volunteer to join the ADventure project, please sign up here. 

Interested schools can sign up here