Looking for work that will fulfil your curiosity about culture and communities and help you build a career, but struggling to find the opportunities? Brixton Finishing School has opened its applications to its FREE Summer School for talented 18-25 year olds who want to break into the world of marketing, advertising and communications.
Brixton Finishing School’s award winning Summer School is looking for 50 talented people who want to turbo charge their work readiness, build their confidence and networking skills and take positive steps towards employment. Not looking at CVs or cover-letters, the individuals will be hand-picked on the basis of raw talent and potential.
This summer Brixton Finishing School will host a hybrid version of the programme, with a mixture of in-person and online learning. In-person learning will take place across various locations in London.
The founder of Brixton Finishing School, Ally Owen said: “The Marketing and Advertising industry desperately needs different voices and thinking to thrive, but over the last two decades, London’s rising cost of living and dwindling entry-level opportunities in the sector has only reinforced disparities of opportunity, ensuring that what few positions are left go to those with the financial security to take a risk, or who already have personal connections within the industry. Our free programmes are designed to counteract this and support talent to break through.”
Unemployment has risen to its highest level for five years and wage growth has slowed again, according to official figures, with the jobless rate among young people at its worst level for more than a decade. The Resolution Foundation think tank said the UK’s youth unemployment is now higher than the EU average for the first time since records began in 2000, with the rate across Europe at 14.9 per cent in the final three months of last year.
In direct response to the financial pressures on young people in the UK today, the Brixton Finishing School has also recently spawned a sister charity, The Finishing School Foundation, to help give working class and diverse youth not currently in education or training the breathing room to pursue upskilling opportunities. Support includes living cost grants, relocation deposits, and funding for neurodiversity or mental health services – in Owen’s own words: “Basically, if you’ve got talent, we’ll help you get where you deserve to be, no matter your background.”
Reaching out to groups who are underrepresented in media, marketing and advertising – namely multicultural talent and socially mobile white people – the Summer School will deliver workshops, 50+ exclusive masterclasses from those at the top of their game in the industry, office visits as well as mentorship and coaching.
Students can expect a truly unique ‘real world’ work experience – not an academic one – that shapes potential into ‘Work Ready’ talent that’s ready to take the next step into work across five key areas; strategy, creative, media, PR and technology.
Following eight weeks of immersive learning, Brixton Finishing School’s big name industry sponsors – like Media owners Bauer Media Group, & JC Decaux, PR leaders like Edelman and The Romans, Brands like Kurt Geiger, Coty, Diageo and Merlin Entertainments create a pool of entry-level roles just for graduates of the course.
Last year the programme saw 3 in 5 with a job afterwards, despite a very challenging employment market, and 100% of students who took part in 2025 would recommend it to their friends and family.
