Agent Academy
Agent Academy is a UK Community Interest Company delivering free creative, digital and tech training programmes to NEET young people aged 14-25 across Liverpool and Manchester, funded by grants and employer/university partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLiverpool, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Agent Academy does
Agent Academy is a UK-based Community Interest Company (CIC) founded in 2014 by Paul Corcoran, operating as the sister social enterprise of Agent marketing agency. It delivers free, immersive training programmes in creative, digital and technology disciplines to young people aged 14-25, with a primary focus on NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) across Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England. The organisation runs a layered programme suite including Sparks (16-19), Lift (14-16), the core Academy programme, Fly (leadership) and Fuse (university progression with Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan, LJMU and Salford), supported by a 90% placement rate and a 2x retention rate versus industry benchmarks.
The business model is a hybrid of public-sector grant funding and employer/university partnership fees. Major funders include Nesta, the Office for Students, the National Lottery, the Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Levelling Up (DfLU). Employer partners such as CGI and Bruntwood SciTech provide placement capacity, structured tech routes and workspace access, while the Agent marketing agency sister relationship supplies live client briefs, creative-sector employers and a direct talent offtake channel. To date, Agent Academy reports 5,000+ beneficiaries, 200+ long-term job placements and £15M in cumulative salaries generated, with delivery supported by a small team of 1-10 employees.
There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; Agent Academy is a service-led delivery organisation whose "product" is the curriculum, employer network and progression infrastructure rather than software. Consequently, AI/ML capability is not part of the current operating model, and the principal strategic risks are grant-cycle concentration, public-sector policy shifts and the absence of scalable technology leverage. The 2021 Manchester expansion, the multi-university Fuse channel and the build-out of an employer ecosystem (CGI, Bruntwood SciTech, Agent agency) point to a deliberate multi-stakeholder scaling strategy rather than rapid single-channel growth.
Agent Academy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Agent Academy
- Legal name
- Agent Academy
- Website
- https://agentacademy.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Agent Academy is a UK Community Interest Company delivering free creative, digital and tech training programmes to NEET young people aged 14-25 across Liverpool and Manchester, funded by grants and employer/university partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Agent Academy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Career Training Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technical & Digital Skills Training (BPACANAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Information Technology & Software (EDAAAPAB), Training Delivery Providers (In-Person, Virtual, Train-the-Trainer) (BPACANAM)
Keywords
Where Agent Academy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Liverpool
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Agent Academy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Funder/Grant Revenue: Agent Academy is funded by purpose-driven funders including Nesta, The Office for Students, National Lottery Community Fund, Department for Education, and Department for Levelling Up. These partnerships support programme delivery for young people from underrepresented communities.
- Employer Partnership Fees: Partner employers set real-world client briefs for learners and recruit graduates who have completed the programme. Employers benefit from access to diverse, pre-trained talent pipelines.
- University and School Programme Fees: Fuse Partnership delivers bespoke university programmes co-designed with careers teams and faculties. Lift and Sparks programmes are delivered in partnership with secondary schools. These institutional partnerships generate revenue for programme delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Rise - 12-week part-time programme for 18-25 year olds |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Sparks - 6-12 week programme for 16-19 year olds |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Lift - Programme for 14-16 year olds in North West |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Fly - Leadership programme for emerging leaders |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Agent Academy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Agent Academy is a UK not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers free, industry-designed career development programmes (Rise, Sparks, Lift, Fly, Fuse) for young people aged 14-30, particularly those not in education, employment or training. Programmes combine curriculum in strategy, creative, digital marketing, and campaigns with real client briefs set by employer partners, expert masterclasses, and direct job placement support into the creative, digital and tech industries.
Product overview
Agent Academy is a not-for-profit social enterprise offering a portfolio of career development programmes for young people in the North West of England. The core offering includes Rise (12-week programme for 18-25 year olds seeking first industry roles), Sparks (6-12 week programme for 16-19 year olds), Lift (for 14-16 year olds), Fly (leadership development), and Fuse (university partnership). The programmes combine industry-designed curriculum, real-client challenges, expert masterclasses, and networking opportunities to help young people secure careers in digital, creative, and tech industries. Partnership options include Rise Partnership (for employers seeking talent solutions) and Talent Partnership (for direct recruitment).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rise: A 12-week, part-time programme for 18-30 year olds not in education, helping them secure careers in digital, creative, and tech industries.
- Sparks
- Lift
- Fly
Products and services
- Rise A 12-week, part-time programme for 18-25 year olds (per programme description) / 18-30 (per ICP) not in education, designed to help participants secure their first job in the digital, creative, or tech industry through industry-designed curriculum, real-client challenges, and expert masterclasses. Delivered free in Liverpool and Manchester.
- Sparks A 6-12 week programme for 16-19 year olds not in education, employment, or training, providing career inspiration and introductory experience in digital and creative industries through blended learning with 1 day in-person and 1-to-1 support.
- Lift A programme for 14-16 year olds living in the North West, designed to build confidence and explore career options outside the classroom setting, delivered in partnership with schools.
- Fly A leadership development programme for emerging leaders who want to grow their leadership potential and develop their voice, confidence, and career opportunities.
- Fuse A university partnership programme that blends academic learning with real industry experience, working with careers teams and faculties to enhance student employability.
- Rise Partnership A business partnership model for employers where partners present real-world briefs for 15-20 Rise learners to solve over 12 weeks, gaining fresh perspectives through community outreach and recruiting exceptional talent.
- Talent Partnership A recruitment partnership connecting employers with diverse early careers talent who are pre-trained and ready to contribute from day one.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of programme graduates land jobs within 6 months
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Agent Academy
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Agent Academy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Agent Academy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Bruntwood SciTechcoreUK's leading property provider to science and tech sector partnered with Agent Academy to connect talent with opportunities in Greater Manchester. Local young people aged 18-30 learn from industry experts and connect directly with businesses at Bruntwood SciTech's Circle Square campus. The partnership creates a direct pathway connecting employers with future employees.
- CGIcoreGlobal IT consultancy CGI partnered with Agent Academy to provide 20 young people with a pathway into careers in the creative and digital industry. CGI set a brief for participants to work on for 12 weeks, challenging them to develop digital innovations that improve lives of young people in the North West. CGI offers job opportunities to participants who show potential at programme completion.
- Electricity North WestminorRegional utility company partnered with Agent Academy as a Rise employer partner.
- University of LiverpoolcoreUniversity partner for the Fuse programme, working with careers teams and faculties to upskill students and enhance employment opportunities through bespoke programmes blending academic learning with real industry experience.
- Manchester Metropolitan UniversitycoreUniversity partner for the Fuse programme delivering industry-designed training to students.
- Everton Football ClubminorProfessional football club partnered with Agent Academy as an employer/industry partner.
- Open MediaminorPartner employer providing industry exposure and recruitment opportunities for programme participants.
- Anthony Walker FoundationminorCharity combating race and faith-based hate crime in Liverpool City Region. Served as the live client brief for the Rise programme, with learners developing social media campaigns to drive traffic to the Foundation's website and encourage hate crime reporting.
- Fourth Day PRminorInternational B2B PR agency featured in Agent Academy's Expert Series, providing learners with insight into careers in public relations.
- Black & GingerminorLiverpool creative agency whose Creative Director and Founder delivered a session on branding and personal branding to Rise programme participants.
- Rise Partners (multiple employers)coreMultiple employers partner with Agent Academy's Rise programme to set real-world communications and marketing challenges for learners. Partners present a brief, attend a briefing session, mid-point review, and final presentation. Partners often recruit exceptional talent from the programme.
- LJMU (Liverpool John Moores University)minorUniversity partner referenced in logos and partnerships section.
- University of SalfordminorUniversity partner referenced in logos and partnerships section.
- Agent (sister company)coreAgent Academy is the sister social enterprise of Agent, a leading Northern full-service marketing agency. Agent's CEO Paul Corcoran founded Agent Academy after recognising the need for the industry to support and guide future talent. Agent provides industry expertise, employer relationships, and operational support.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Agent Academy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brixton Finishing School: London-based social enterprise training underrepresented adults in creative, digital and marketing skills – a smaller, niche UK peer with the same creative-sector upskilling mission.
- Generation (You Employed): Global nonprofit running free, employer-aligned, short-form training programmes for unemployed youth into digital and tech roles – sharing Agent Academy's free, employer-brief, high-placement model.
- The Prince's Trust: UK charity delivering employability and skills programmes for young people not in education, employment or training, with employers as placement partners – directly comparable to Agent Academy's NEET talent mission.
- Ada National College for Digital Skills: UK specialist college delivering digital and tech skills education to 16–19-year-olds through employer partnerships – overlapping Agent Academy's Lift/Sparks target-age digital training segment.
- Catch22: UK social enterprise delivering employment, education and skills programmes for disadvantaged young people, often via public-sector contracts – a comparable operating model and funder base.
- Creative Access: UK social enterprise placing underrepresented young talent into creative industries through paid internships and mentoring, overlapping Agent Academy's creative-industry diversity and entry-level placement focus.
- The Marketing Academy: Industry-backed UK organisation developing future marketing leaders through programmes with mentors and senior marketers – comparable leadership development pipeline into the marketing industry.
Emerging players
- Multiverse: UK-based apprenticeship and tech-training provider focused on digital skills and career pathways for diverse talent – an emerging player using employer-paid models in adjacent segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Agent Academy social profiles
Digital presenceAgent Academy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Agent Academy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Agent Academy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Agent Academy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Agent Academy
What does Agent Academy do?
Agent Academy is a UK not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers free, industry-designed career development programmes (Rise, Sparks, Lift, Fly, Fuse) for young people aged 14-30, particularly those not in education, employment or training. Programmes combine curriculum in strategy, creative, digital marketing, and campaigns with real client briefs set by employer partners, expert masterclasses, and direct job placement support into the creative, digital and tech industries.
Is Agent Academy a public or private company?
Agent Academy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Agent Academy founded?
Agent Academy was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Agent Academy based?
Agent Academy is headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Agent Academy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Funder/Grant Revenue is the primary driver. The others are employer Partnership Fees and university and School Programme Fees.
Who are Agent Academy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brixton Finishing School, Generation (You Employed), The Prince's Trust, Ada National College for Digital Skills, Catch22, Creative Access and The Marketing Academy. Multiverse is listed as an emerging player.
Does Agent Academy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Agent Academy.
What industry is Agent Academy in?
Agent Academy's product category is Youth Career Training Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACANAB, Technical & Digital Skills Training, with a secondary code of EDAAAPAB, Information Technology & Software. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.