Until now, outside of media owner schemes, formal apprenticeships within media and marketing have been comparatively rare.
It’s therefore unsurprising that a recent featured no media or marketing names, unless you count Jamie Oliver.
Having left school at 16 and made my way via out-of-home to running my own media business, I am a big fan of apprenticeships. People learn in different ways and not everyone is suited to the rigours of formal education.
Arguably one of the .
I am sure I am not alone in our sector in experiencing the consequences: a glut of applications from grads with – thanks to escalating tuition fees – increasingly expensive media degrees who are not well-equipped for the world of work.
Able to hold forth on the history of the tabloid press? Absolutely. Good standard of Maths and English; can hold their own in front of clients? You’ll be lucky.
So I’m delighted to see the revival of apprenticeships and political parties competing to demonstrate their greater commitment to them.
As well as being a possible vote winner, investing in apprenticeships also makes economic sense – latest figures suggest .
I am also pleased to see that, in line with , the apprenticeships system is in the process of being dramatically overhauled with a much greater emphasis on apprentices gaining a decent understanding of English and Maths as part of their apprenticeships, as strong literacy and numeracy skills are basic requirements for media and marketing professionals.
Another common sense step is handing responsibility to employers for designing the standards and assessment needed to be met in each sector, as well as giving them purchasing power over training courses.
With digital technology continuing to transform the media and marketing landscapes quicker than you can say algorithm, employers from media agencies to brand advertisers are better placed than institutions to define which skills and expertise our workforce requires going forward to ensure our industries are not just future-proofed but able to continuously innovate and develop.
And what a great tribute to the ability of our sector to nurture and develop raw talent, if future Martin Sorrells or Karen Blacketts were to start their careers as media or marketing apprentices.
Frances Dickens, chief executive of
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