The Marketing Team at Solihull College & University Centre and Stratford-upon-Avon College is celebrating national recognition after being honoured at the FE First Awards 2026.
Held alongside the College Marketing Network’s annual conference, the FE First Awards spotlight outstanding marketing achievements across the Further Education sector.
The team were Highly Commended in the Innovation & Creativity category for their recent ‘Skill Up: Passion to Profession’ campaign.
To bring the campaign to life, the College partnered with Spark Media – a local agency specialising in TV advertising – to produce a series of dynamic new adverts aimed at school leavers. Following recent investment in cutting-edge facilities, a central focus was to highlight the real-world learning environments available to students. Indoor drone videography was utilised to showcase these spaces in an immersive way, giving viewers the sense of flying through the facilities and experiencing them alongside students.
The adverts formed a core part of the Colleges’ wider campaign, which ran across Sky TV, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, radio, Spotify, YouTube, outdoor media and more.
The judging panel commented: “(The College’s campaign) showcases how creative technology can be used to tell a powerful, immersive story that resonates with both young people and their influencers. By combining bold visual storytelling with cutting-edge production techniques, the campaign brought learning environments to life in a way rarely seen in further education marketing. Authentic student involvement, striking visuals and platform-first thinking ensured the work felt credible, contemporary and aspirational. Delivered at scale across broadcast and digital channels, the campaign not only stood out creatively, but also delivered measurable impact on recruitment – proving that innovation can drive both attention and results.”
Head of Marketing & Communications, Sean Howitt, commented: “I’m incredibly proud of what the team has achieved with this campaign. The feedback from students, influencers and colleagues across the industry has been fantastic, and it was wonderful to see that translate into record enrolment figures. To receive such positive sector recognition – particularly against such strong competition – is truly rewarding.”
College Principal, Rebecca Gater, added: “We are delighted to receive such recognition for this campaign. We are committed to creating transformative learning experiences, and this campaign mirrors that ambition. By using bold visual storytelling and innovative technology, we have brought our learning environments to life in a fresh and contemporary way. We are proud to see this work inspiring prospective students to imagine what’s possible with us.”
Take a look at the TV adverts that formed the centre of the campaign:
