Spark Media Video Production Agency

South & City College Birmingham

CLIENT

THE BRIEF

South & City College Birmingham asked us to create a YouTube advert aimed at school leavers and adult learners considering upskilling, retraining or changing career. The goal was to show how the college offers hands-on training that prepares learners for the real world.

OUR SOLUTION

We developed a concept that used the college’s logo as a symbol of transformation. We hired four actors to represent key career areas that align with the college’s courses – construction, digital, engineering and health & social care.

We filmed hero shots of each actor in a classroom setting, then used animation to transition the logo across the screen and reveal them in their dream career environments. The message was clear: South & City College gives you the skills to step confidently into real jobs.

A male medical student checking the pulse of a manikin in a hospital bed. He is stood up staring directly at camera. South and City College Birmingham logo moves over the screen revealing the same student in a different environment - a hospital, checking the pulse of a real patient. He is now wearing medical scrubs. This is his dream career.
A blonde woman stood up staring directly at camera. South and City College Birmingham logo moves over the screen revealing the same student in a different environment - a computer lab. Her dream career.
A man in coveralls in an engineering classroom stood up staring directly at camera. South and City College Birmingham logo moves over the screen revealing the same student in a different environment - a real engineering lab. His dream career. Pink and white text reads: The Real World.
Woman who is in a warehouse facility wearing Hi-Vis. The South & City College Birmingham logo appears and transitions the scene into her wearing a helmet that says HS2 with the background being a HS2 construction site.

We supported the main scenes with B-roll filmed across the college, highlighting its facilities and hands-on learning. Kinetic typography added extra energy and allowed us to tailor the messaging, targeting adult learners in one version and school leavers in another. Animated end cards gave us further flexibility, making it easy to adapt the CTAs across the short edits, from promoting open days to encouraging enrolment.

Two phones with screenshots of videos on them. One has an end card that says enrol now at sccb.ac.uk. The other says register at sccb.ac.uk.
Two screenshots from the video. One is an ad for school leavers that says 'leaving school next year?'. White text on dark blue background. The other is an ad for adult learners. It says 'looking to upskill'. White text on dark blue background, but the word upskill is in pink.

THE IMPACT

The set of adverts helped South & City College connect with school leavers and adult learners by clearly showing how hands-on training leads to real career opportunities. The creative logo transformation animation made the message memorable, reinforcing the college’s role in preparing students for new career paths. 

The campaign was a success, with South & City College winning Gold at the CMN FE First Awards 2026 for its communications campaign. The video content played an important role within the wider campaign and a refreshed version is currently in development – watch this space!

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