Advertising industry education is suffering from a “lag effect”, particularly when it comes to upskilling those working in digital, according to chairman of digital agency DT David Trewern.
Trewern, who is also chairman of the Tractor design and digital school said the lack of education available in digital is one of the things that got him interested in the education space to begin with.
He said when it comes to upskilling and continual training, “education hasn't kept up with the pace of the industry.”
“I think it would still be a huge priority for most businesses,” Trewern said.
“For me, the digital training, whether the agencies know it or not, that's really the big priority because that's what clients want and money is still shifting rapidly in those digital mediums.”
“The reality is there needs to be more people in more bushinesses and design agencies who understand content marketing and social media and all those sorts of things.”
Trewern said while agencies are filled with younger people coming through the ranks who might intuitively understand digital platforms like social and ecommerce, there are still many more people who were trained 'pre-internet' in print production or copywriting for broadcast.
He said that while media agencies tend to be a bit more proactive with internal training, many creative and design agencies have struggled to keep up with the speed of progress.
“Education typically follows the industry as well, so you need people to jump from the industry into education and turn those ideas into best practice,” Trewern said.
“There is this kind of lag effect with education so I think there is still a massive need for digital training.”
The White Agency MD Andrew Davenport said that the industry model makes it incredibly difficult to develop talent within ranks, but said it is one area flagged for focus in his agency this year.
“The professional services model makes it difficult for senior talent, who are capable of training, to spend enough time actually training,” Davenport said. “Many agencies don't spend enough time on professional development and knowledge tasks.”
Davenport said digital specialists like The White Agency have an additional challenge in keeping staff ahead of developments and – given the specialisation of their skills – keeping staff retained.
“Everyone wants good digital talent; digital specialists, integrated agencies, PR and media agencies,” Davenport said.
“Digital agencies are constantly challenged in keeping abreast of the changing landscape and there is much to learn and be interested in. Ensuring this knowledge is shared and understood throughout the organisation in real-time is also essential.”
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