Adland to welcome its next generation

The number of agencies participating in Advertising Unlocked, the IPA-run nationwide, ad industry careers open day has surged by over 50 % year-on-year, with over 100 agencies signed up to showcase the industry to thousands of schoolchildren on Friday 27 September.

Top UK advertising and media agencies from London to Manchester, Cardiff to Belfast, Glasgow to Bristol, will be opening their doors to over 100 schools. They will be revealing how campaigns are made and what jobs roles, and demonstrating a new world of opportunities open to everyone of any background – humanities, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, analytics or relationship building.

Now in its third year, the initiative continues in its duel objective to introduce a new – potentially unconsidered – career option to schoolchildren, and to provide agencies with a route to fresh, diverse talent. Since inception, 3000 students have taken part, with feedback from 2018 revealing the tangible benefits of the day to both the children and the agencies.

Key stats and feedback from the 2018 Advertising Unlocked careers day:

  • More than 1,500 students attended events at 70 agencies in nine cities
  • 74% were aged 16-18, and 47% came from non-white backgrounds
  • 83% of students saw a role for themselves having attended Advertising Unlocked, 80% of whom were felt that they were now more likely to pursue a career in advertising
  • 90% of teachers more likely to recommend advertising as a potential career for their students
  • 91% of agencies intended to partner with their school/college again for future events, and 100% of agencies intend to host Advertising Unlocked in the future

This year Publicis Sapient will be participating in the scheme, in light of its commitment to engaging with diverse talent. Says Nigel Vaz, IPA President and CEO of Publicis Sapient:

“Our industry is a dynamic, exciting and creative place to be. But to thrive we must ensure we attract the brightest, most diverse minds. It is therefore a no-brainer for our agencies to forge links with schools through this highly successful, mutually beneficial initiative. We are very much looking forward to the day.”

Following the day the IPA encourages the schools and agencies to stay in contact with one another and highlights the various vacancies and pathways for entry-level roles into advertising, including:

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