North East marketing academy expands global reach with £45k investment

A North East marketing training academy is aiming to expand its global reach with the help of a £45k investment from the North East Small Loan Fund supported by The European Regional Development Fund.

Fabric Academy creates and delivers webinars and courses for marketers at all stages of their careers and is part of the Scale Up North East programme, which is aimed at supporting North East-based businesses that can demonstrate the potential to achieve high levels of growth.

Set up at the beginning of the pandemic, the Newcastle-based firm has seen more than 600 people complete its courses over the last 15 months, with candidates signing up from all over the UK and Europe, and from as far afield as the US, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.

The Fabric Academy management team worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to bring in the £4k Small Loan Fund investment, which will help to enhance its website and digital marketing activities, as well as to bring in the skilled staff needed to underpin its growth plans.

Lisa Eaton, founder, Fabric Academy, said: “We found that there was a real gap between the knowledge that candidates had gained through their studies and the practical skills that are required by industry, so decided to use our own knowledge and experience to start to bridge that gap.

“We spent almost a year preparing, testing and filming the content we provide, along with developing the brand and the e-learning portal through which our students access everything, and now work with both experienced and new marketers, including businesses who want to incorporate high-impact marketing into their own growth plans or support the development of their marketing team.

“The feedback we’ve had from both candidates and the employers that have booked their staff onto our courses has been universally positive, and we know there is huge potential for us to massively increase the number of students that we take on from all over the world.”

Jonathan Armitage, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, commented: “Lisa and her team are applying the knowledge they’ve developed through their own successful careers in an accessible programme that has a practical impact on both the marketing skills of its candidates and the commercial performance of their employers and businesses.”