Agencies need to keep their doors open to non-grads
September marks the time when thousands of students start university. Traditionally newspapers are dominated by coverage aimed at those attending university (and their empty nester parents) with a strong focus on Fresher’s shenanigans. I have nothing but goodwill for students embarking on the next step, but I do wish that the media coverage was just as balanced for those exploring non-graduate options.
For personal reasons, this is a subject close to my heart. I left school at 16, and university wasn’t even discussed as a possibility. Inspiration was in short supply. School careers advisors presented us with stereotypical female roles (hairdresser, beautician, nurse) and nobody pushed us to aspire to be anything else.
Aspiration should be hardwired into education for everyone, and I do think things have improved vastly since. My daughter now attends the same school I did. Happily, they now put a strong emphasis on instilling in children the belief that anything is possible, with regular talks from successful people from all walks of life.
Keen to start earning, I fell more by luck than judgement into an office junior role within the media department of an advertising agency. In those days there wasn’t any clear appraisal system, mentoring didn’t exist or and there were no clear ways to progress. I worked hard, said yes to every opportunity and created a career I love.
Nowadays, thankfully, things are different at all levels; employers want to support, retain and grow their people.
I feel that it’s important to also send out a message to school leavers that you don’t need a degree to enjoy a richly rewarding and successful career, with plenty of scope for progression.
This is particularly true for our industry, where we have so much to benefit from casting the net wider. The definition of media has evolved far beyond planning for clearly defined channels to encompass a dizzying array of digital, mobile, social and even virtual routes to consumers. You try writing a standard job description in a world where brands can jostle for attention with Pokémon characters.
And yet agency intake over the past ten years or so has been dominated by graduate recruitment schemes, which, largely speaking, pull in the well-connected and middle class.
While there is obviously nothing wrong with hiring grads, when we do this to the exclusion of all others it becomes a problem – for us, consumers and for our clients. We need to expand the talent pool to recognise and reflect the world we live in and the vastly wide spectrum of work we now undertake.
To embrace the wider community and quite literally open our doors to a more diverse set of skills and perspectives, we launched Maxus Calling - a school liaison and apprenticeship scheme that invited 53 school leavers into the agency for a fun, intensive day of learning about media agency life – what we do and how we work. At the end of the day, we offered 15-month apprenticeships to the five people who stood out to us the most.
A smart, keen, entrepreneurial attitude is a better asset than any certificate in this business today. Hiring more non-grads is a no-brainer for any media agency that wants to diversify, remain relevant and thrive. And for school leavers; non-university options such as apprenticeships and entry level roles could present a financially healthier alternative than years of baked beans and mounting debts.
Nicky Bradley is marketing director at Maxus