How Spark Design Academy is bridging the gap between education and the creative industries with accredited qualifications

Spark Design Academy gives young people access to the skills and experience behind careers in sport, fashion, and design. A key part of their purpose is reaching those who may not always thrive within traditional education but have creativity, curiosity, and potential that can be unlocked through a different approach.  

Their accredited learning portfolio is built around practical, industry-led projects that mirror real-world creative processes. Learners are challenged to conduct research, generate ideas, solve problems, design products, communicate their thinking, and present their work.  

Spark currently offer three NCFE Customised Qualifications:   

• Football Kit Design  

• Innovation & Design Thinking  

• Manufacturing & Production  

Craig Buglass, CEO and Co-Founder of Spark Design Academy, said: “We wanted to take genuine industry experience and turn it into learning that was not only inspiring and relevant, but also had educational value and external credibility.  

"The NCFE framework allows us to combine that very practical, industry-led approach with structure, assessment and recognised learning outcomes.”  

Spark qualifications now reach learners in more than 60 countries worldwide through a variety of settings, from independent online study to schools, alternative provision, and professional football academies. 

Gaining credibility   

To complement their wealth of industry experience and engaging content, Spark identified the need to add educational rigour and credibility through awarding body accreditation. 

Craig explained: “Working with a recognised awarding organisation gave us that external validation. From the outset, we wanted a partner rather than simply an accreditation provider. What appealed to us about NCFE was their willingness to understand what Spark was trying to build.” 

This recognition demonstrates value to learners, parents, and schools. With backing from NCFE, learners are able to work towards a quality-assured qualification without removing the relevance, personality and accessibility that make Spark work. 

Building confidence for creative careers 

Since implementing their Customised Qualifications, the Spark team has seen learners attend more consistently, complete work outside scheduled sessions, and engage with projects in ways that teachers and support teams had not previously experienced.  

This has helped learners to build confidence and open the door to careers they had never considered. For many, simply re-engaging with learning is a significant achievement.   

Demi Burdon, Head of Centre at the Northern Education Trust, said: “The students have enjoyed having a different aspect to their timetable where they can design their own football kit.  

"Students are engaged in lessons and love the creativity side to it along with finding out the history of their favourite football teams. They have already made a great start to this, and it does really bring out their creativity when communicating their ideas in what they want to achieve throughout the course.”  

Support from NCFE  

When asked about working with NCFE, Craig said: “The support has gone considerably beyond simply approving a qualification. NCFE has challenged us where challenge was needed, helped us understand how to translate professional industry practice into appropriate learning outcomes, and given us confidence that the programmes we are taking into schools and other education environments have the rigour behind them that those organisations rightly expect.”  

Future plans for Spark Design Academy include developing ‘From Pitch to Street’, a new footwear course, as well as expanding their offer to cover topics such as branding, denim, outwear, and how to start a women’s active brand.  

Craig concludes: “As Spark has grown, NCFE has shown a genuine interest in where we are going as a business and how they can help us get there. We would absolutely recommend their accreditation service, particularly to organisations that have genuine expertise and strong learning content but need the right educational framework and partner around it.” 

Explore how our accreditation services can enhance the credibility of bespoke learning on our Customised Qualifications page.