The Challenger Academy Partners with LADbible Group to Empower the Next Generation of Creative Talent

VCCP’s Stoke Academy has rebranded as The Challenger Academy, and has been awarded charity status. The move marks an exciting new chapter in its mission to upskill and inspire young people from Stoke-on-Trent and beyond to get into the creative industries. 

Since award-winning advertising agency VCCP launched its Stoke Academy in 2021, it has delivered over 15,000 hours of creative work experience opportunities to young people in Staffordshire and trained 629 local students - delivering investment of more than £4.4m into the local economy. 

The Challenger Academy aims to ensure every young person, regardless of their background, has access to life-changing opportunities in the creative industries. 

In the first announcement since its rebrand and new charity status, The Challenger Academy is delighted to unveil its partnership with global media powerhouse LADbible Group for its summer internship, ‘The Best Summer Job Ever!’, which is now open to applications for anyone 18 years or older, living in Staffordshire. Each year, the internship offers young people the chance to win a paid placement working with some of Stoke’s foremost creative agencies: VCCP Stoke, i-Creation and Lesniak Swann. This year, the internship will run 21st July - 15th August, 2025 and offer 12 available placements with VCCP in Stoke-on-Trent. As part of their partnership, LADbible will financially support four additional interns over the four week summer programme, with The Challenger Academy and VCCP supporting the other eight. 

Over the four weeks, the interns will spend a day at LADbible London and Manchester to attend platform insight sessions, creative workshops, and production planning. These activities will help them understand the work of each team and how they collaborate to create social-first campaigns that place brands at the heart of culture.

In the final week of the internship, students will work on a mock brief for LADbible, and senior leaders from VCCP and LADbible will attend the final presentations and provide feedback to each team of interns.

During the internship, students are given the opportunity to work on briefs and receive mentoring from  VCCP industry experts and experience first-hand how projects are delivered for big-name clients such as LinkedIn, Co-op and Müller. The scheme also covers employability skills training such as CV writing, confidence building, presentation skills and interview techniques.

‘The Best Summer Job Ever!’ has been developed by VCCP and The Challenger Academy to help widen participation and diversity in the advertising industry, at a time when many young people - in particular those from working class backgrounds - don’t view the sector as a viable career choice. This is despite areas like Stoke-on-Trent being home to leading agencies that work with some of the world’s biggest brands.

The Challenger Academy revealed that 80% of the interns who graduated from the Academy’s ‘Best Summer Job Ever!’ have gone into employment in the creative industries, many of them in Stoke-on-Trent, including Sophie Slim, who created The Challenger Academy’s new branding and logo. Sophie is a full time employee at VCCP’s global content production studio, Girl&Bear and participated in the Academy’s first internship in 2022, now working in VCCP’s Stoke office. She has a BA and MA in Graphic Design from the University of Staffordshire and grew up in the Black Country. 

This year, The Challenger Academy will also expand their focus in Stoke-on-Trent to include primary and secondary education. Working with Alpha Academies Trust, a network of six primary and secondary schools in North Staffordshire, The Challenger Academy will create teaching resources that will introduce students to the creative industries at a younger age and develop pupils’ skills.

LA Ronayne, executive creative director at LADbible Group said, “We’re committed to helping young and emerging talent break into the creative industries and help shape the culture of tomorrow. Partnering with The Challenger Academy allows us to open doors, provide hands-on experience and the confidence needed to thrive. We know this initiative will help break down barriers and create meaningful opportunities for the next generation to make their mark.”

Michael Lee, CSO at VCCP and co-founder of The Challenger Academy said, "At The Challenger Academy, we believe that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That’s why we're so grateful for the support of the LADbible Group to help us expand this year's ‘Best Summer Job Ever!’ internship, enabling four more young people from Staffordshire to gain hands-on experience in the creative industries. This additional support not only helps shape a more inclusive industry but also unlocks fresh perspectives from diverse talent that drives innovation."

Sophie Slim, junior designer at Girl&Bear said, “‘The ‘Best Summer Job Ever’ was a game-changer for me. It gave me the opportunity to gain creative, hands-on work experience in a real working environment. The skills training and career guidance I received have proven invaluable, helping me build the confidence not only to pursue a career in the creative industry but also to believe that I truly belong in this space. This internship opened my eyes to the opportunities available to young creatives, which is why I believe programmes like these are vital in making the industry more accessible, especially to those from diverse backgrounds, who may not be aware of the career paths available to them or how to break into the field.”

To submit your application for the ‘Best Summer Job Ever!’, visit here.

Applications close at 23:59 on the 30th March, 2025.