The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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Andrew Henning, chair of BIMA’s education committee, talks to The Drum about BIMA's D-Day campaign and calls for local agencies to get involved

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

July 30, 2012 | 3 min read

In the lead up to BIMA's D-Day (digital day) Challenge, BIMA's chair of education, discusses with The Drum why its important for agencies to help local kids get into the digital industry.

BIMA (British Interactive Media Association) has begun its latest D-Day challenge to get schools involved with the digital industry. To be held on 10 October 2012, the focus of the event is a competition getting students to come up with an innovative idea across one of five disciplines – digital design, mobile apps, social media, motion graphics, and coding – whilst working alongside UK agencies.Representatives from volunteering agencies will go into local schools on D-Day and help pupils bring their ideas to life, as well as teaching them about the roles available in digital and the qualifications needed. The ideas will then be submitted to a judging panel for the chance to win prizes including 100 Raspberry Pis for the winning school and a tour of the Sky Studios in Isleworth. Speaking to The Drum, Andrew Henning, chair of BIMA’s education committee, called for all agencies to get involved: “At the moment I think we have over 75 schools said that they’ll do it and were looking generally around 30 pupils in each school…we’re hoping for 2-3000 kids doing digital in school in one day.“But there will be schools in areas where we haven’t got agencies and vice versa we have some agencies in areas where we haven’t got schools, if you’re an agency however big or small, if you’re in somewhere where you don’t think you matter so much, if you’re off the beaten track then join us chances are we will have a school that’s not far away from you.”He continued: “Most absent are the North-East, Cumbria and North Wales that’s where we’re going to struggle. “But, kids wherever they are, are all the same, all using the same apps there’s not a barrier, London kids are no more digital than ones that are in the middle of Scotland, and that’s what we’re finding. The schools have equal ambition so I really welcome off the beaten track agencies to get involved.”However, it’s not just agencies who can get involved BIMA are also welcoming in-house digital teams within organisations and freelancers. To get involved agencies need to fill out the form on the BIMA site to be paired with a school. If their school’s entry is shortlisted by the judges, the agency will be asked to provide additional support but as a reward the agency working will the winning school will win a prestigious BIMA award for their achievement. There’s a number of reasons why agencies should get involved, in Henning’s opinion, he told us: “there is a social responsibility, yes, but it’s fun - one day to help younger people and if you go in and in the school three or four kids might then do digital, and they might come and work for you. You might get them for work experience or make closer links.“We’re not imposing what agencies do with schools, but as everyone is trying to recruit, things like this will raise the digital industries profile amongst the younger audience,” he concluded.

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