IPA partners with Brixton Finishing School to expand Advertising Unlocked 2025 outreach
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) is set to collaborate with Brixton Finishing School and its ADventure programme as part of preparations for the forthcoming Advertising Unlocked 2025 event. Scheduled to take place on 12 November 2025, the IPA’s annual Advertising Unlocked is a nationwide open day designed to offer insight into the advertising industry to students and educators across the UK.
This partnership aims to broaden the reach of the event by engaging a larger number of students from UK secondary schools and further education colleges. Through this collaboration, the IPA and Brixton Finishing School intend to connect these students with 75 participating advertising agencies, providing a unique platform for early career exposure.
On the event day, participating schools and students will have the chance to immerse themselves in a variety of industry-related activities. These include live briefs, pitch simulations, interactive question and answer sessions, and hands-on creative workshops, all designed to offer practical experience and enhance understanding of the advertising sector.
Brixton Finishing School will further support the initiative through its ADventure programme by offering comprehensive employability resources and guidance to both schools and agencies. This includes delivering employability webinars focused on essential workplace skills for students, assisting agencies in running impactful sessions, and providing post-event support aimed at sustaining engagement and nurturing future talent pipelines. For students unable to attend the event in person, the school will also offer access to its online programmes and resources, ensuring wider accessibility.
Leila Siddiqi, director of diversity and inclusion at the IPA, highlighted the importance of the partnership in an interview with Campaign Live. She said, “We are delighted to be partnering with Brixton Finishing School for Advertising Unlocked 2025. Their track record in reaching and supporting diverse, untapped talent perfectly complements our ambition to make the industry more inclusive and accessible. By combining our industry network with their expertise in early engagement and in readying students for employment, we’re ensuring that the next generation doesn’t just get to look inside – they thrive once they’re in. This collaboration helps build a stronger, more sustainable talent pipeline that reflects the creativity and diversity our industry needs to stay relevant and future-focused.”
Ally Owen, founder of Brixton Finishing School, also reflected on the significance of intentional industry change. She noted, “The industry won’t evolve by accident. It takes intention, innovation and access. With ADventure as the bridge and the IPA at the helm, we’re creating early engagement that genuinely changes lives and, ultimately, changes the face of our industry.”
This partnership builds on the IPA’s ongoing commitment to attracting diverse talent to advertising. In 2023, the organisation launched a “Step into Adland” campaign in collaboration with TikTok for Business, which matched agencies with content creators. This initiative expanded upon the Advertising Unlocked programme's mission to encourage young people from varied backgrounds to consider careers within the advertising industry.
For association executives, confederations, and trade bodies operating in the advertising and creative sectors, this partnership exemplifies how collaboration between industry bodies and education-focused organisations can enhance member services and deliver meaningful access to future talent. The integration of employability support with practical industry experiences reflects a strategic approach to talent development, aiming to nurture a workforce that is both skilled and diverse. As the industry continues to evolve, such initiatives are likely to play a crucial role in shaping the future landscape of advertising in the UK.