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Next June a rare breed of student will graduate from

Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College armed with a BA from the

UK's only integrated advertising degree course.

With three year's experience in creative problem solving across all

media channels, the mantra of media neutrality ringing in their ears,

and four golds and nine nominations chalked up at this year's D&AD

Student Awards, these students should be hotly fought over by

agencies.

But while some agencies have forged strong links with the course, the

fact remains that these students will face a difficult task when they

hit the job market next summer. Not only is the economic climate

conspiring against them, but few agencies really put their money where

their mouth is when it comes to graduate recruitment.

Forty per cent of the UK's 85 largest direct marketing agencies admitted

that they didn't take on any graduates at all in this year's Agency

Survey (Marketing Direct, June 2001). In addition, the Institute of

Direct Marketing's Graduate Apprenticeship Programme (GAP) is suffering

from its lowest agency support since its launch five years ago.

So what does the future hold for the Bucks College students - the very

people who should be the future creative brains of the industry? Well,

the future isn't entirely bleak. Firstly, some believe the economic

downturn could well play into the hands of the graduate market.

"In the current economic environment, salary costs at the top end will

be reduced, which should create opportunities for bright, young, cheaper

people at the lower end of the management ladder," says David Payne,

executive director of Hawkeye Europe and chairman of the IDM.

Secondly, a number of agencies have been quick to recognise that this

course, unique as it is, is producing a rich vein of potential

talent.

Leonardo is one such agency. Last year, its creative director Gary

Sharpen attended the D&AD's New Blood exhibition, as well as recruitment

company Kendall Tarrant's annual Cream exhibition.

After taking the names of around six teams that came to his attention,

Sharpen realised the majority of them came from Bucks College and made

contact with the integrated course tutor Julie Wright. This resulted in

him hiring one of the graduating teams (which has since produced

award-winning work for Leonardo client VSO), as well as the launch of

the Leonardo Student Awards in collaboration with the college in July

this year.

"I realised that the way forward for us was not to wait for students to

seek us out but instead to find them ourselves as an investment for the

future," says Sharpen.

He adds that there has been a shift in mindset among students coming

into the business in recent years. "It's not so much that they have an

open mind to DM but simply that they don't recognise media differences,"

he explains. "This is a refreshing change from the acknowledged view

that some creatives seem to drop down from above the line to get their

hands dirty in DM."

Graduate showcase

The Awards themselves saw five of the best graduating creative teams

from Bucks College showcase their work to 10 creative directors,

including Grey's Andy Blackford, Steve Stretton from Archibald Ingall

Stretton and Simon Kershaw from Craik Jones. Their work was judged and

the winning team received a shelf (for all the future gongs they were

sure to pick up), an extended placement with Leonardo and £300

worth of D&AD reference books. Currently, all 21 students who graduated

this year are either employed by agencies or are on placements.

This success rate is testimony to the quality of the course and, after a

day at the High Wycombe-based college, it's easy to see why the students

are enthused about the industry they hope to break into. The course has

been developed by Julie Wright, who also works as a freelance art

director, and Leah Kline, who was previously creative director at Wired

magazine.

They took the course over four years ago and then re-branded it from

below-the-line advertising to integrated advertising.

Wright says: "By calling it below-the-line, it was reinforcing the

divisions we wanted to remove. A good idea travels; that's how we

encourage the students to think, and it doesn't matter if it's a poster,

piece of direct mail or radio ad."

Each year between 80 and 90 students join the college's Graphic Design

and Advertising degree course. After an initial year spent studying a

broad range of disciplines, students have the option of specialising

either in graphic design, illustration, media advertising or integrated

advertising.

Around 20 students opt for the integrated course each year and come

under the tutelage of Wright and Kline, as well as a raft of part-time

voluntary lecturers.

John Merriman, creative partner of agency Mustoe Merriman Levy is one

such lecturer. On the day I visited, his time was spent critiquing the

work the third-year students had produced in response to a Speedo brief

he had set.

"I'm focusing on how they structure and present their ideas specifically

for their portfolios," he says. "At this point on the course, students

really need to learn how to sell themselves. I try to make it as much

like the real world as I can."

Other lecturers include Chris Arnold, previously integrated creative

director at Saatchi & Saatchi, Mike Cavers, creative director at

Publicis Dialog and Andrew Cracknell, executive creative director at

Bates UK .

There is a strong emphasis on problem solving both through fictitious

and live briefs. On the same day, the second-year students were working

on a London Aquarium brief from Bank Hoggins O'Shea FCB to position the

tourist attraction under the strapline 'the wonders of the ocean in the

middle of London'. The following Monday the whole class was heading down

to London to present their ideas directly to the client.

Enthusiasm for mail

There's a refreshing willingness among the students to embrace all media

channels and many of the briefs incorporate direct mail. "I really enjoy

direct mail because it's a challenge - there's so much more you can do

with it," says third-year student Michelle Tully. "You look at your door

mat and there's just so much crap," she adds succinctly.

This honesty extends to the group's attitudes to their counterparts on

the media advertising course, which focuses exclusively on

above-the-line.

"There's huge rivalry between us but then they have huge egos," says

Emily Portnoi. "We trounced them at the D&ADs though," she adds with a

smile of satisfaction.

Integration may be the name of the game but rather soberingly, the

divide between above and below-the-line is as strong as ever - even

among young, fresh-faced students.