18/11/2025
We’re excited to share a major milestone for The Challenger Academy! 📣
Today, we announced the expansion of our flagship work experience programme for sixth form students, The Biggest Pitch of the Year, from Stoke-on-Trent into Nottingham, thanks to a new partnership with the brilliant team ! Click our link in bio to read the coverage in 👆
What began in 2021 as a local pilot created by to tackle the creative industry’s widening diversity and talent pipeline crisis, has now become a blueprint for other agencies to adopt. And that is only possible because of the incredible volunteers, partners, colleges, and students who have built this programme with us. 💪
With OLIVER joining the movement, this eight-week crash course in advertising is being delivered to students at in Nottingham, while VCCP continues its work with four amazing colleges across Stoke.
A few highlights from the announcement:
💥 The programme has grown from one to four colleges in Stoke and has already delivered nearly 10,000 hours of creative education in less than five years.
🤖 This year’s curriculum includes digital and AI skills training, thanks to new partnerships with Adobe and OLIVER’s demonstration of Pencil, their GenAI marketing platform.
🎸 Students in both regions are responding to a brief co-developed with , tackling issues facing grassroots music venues.
This is the first step in scaling a model designed to open doors for young people who might otherwise be overlooked, and we’re calling on more agencies, brands, and regional partners to join us as we expand further in 2026.
A huge thanks to OLIVER and their passionate team of mentors! 🙌
Creative talent exists everywhere. Opportunity doesn’t. We’re working on changing that, one region at a time. 🚀
