Nottingham Agency inspires the next generation of digital marketers

To help close the skills gap in the industry, leading Nottingham digital agency Hallam Internet partnered with the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) and delivered the BIMA Digital Day 2018 at Nottingham Girls’ High School last Tuesday.

CEO and Founder Susan Hallam and Owned Media Consultant Laura James gave an insight into the careers available in digital to a group of students between 13 and 15 years old. For a second year running, Hallam Internet has joined BIMA Digital Day to tackle the lack of awareness of digital opportunities among pupils in light of the UK’s booming digital economy. The agency has a history of championing digital skills programmes for students, entrepreneurs and women, as well as hiring local graduates through graduate schemes.

Digital Day is one of BIMA’s flagship events. In many ways it’s their most important event, because it helps raise awareness about an industry many young people know next to nothing about. Digital Day, with assistance from agencies like Hallam Internet, helps ensure that the pipeline of talent keeps flowing, helping to reduce the perennial skills shortage faced by the industry.

Susan Hallam commented: “Schools struggle to keep their courses up to date, which means students are not fully informed on what digital careers are available to them. Hallam Internet is determined to support schools to fill in the curriculum gaps and nurture talent for tomorrow’s jobs market. At our agency alone there are multiple career paths that graduates can take based around the services we offer: search engine optimisationpay per click advertisingdigital PR and many more.”

Theo Blackwell, Chief Digital Officer for London said: “There should be no barrier to a career in digital. The next great technological leap could be just as likely to come from a child currently sitting at a school desk in Southwark or Sutton as Silicon Valley, if we inspire our young people and give them the opportunity to explore their digital potential. BIMA Digital Day gives children across London and the UK the chance to put their digital skills to the test on real world challenges so that, in the future, they might be inspired to help solve those problems for real.”

Hallam Internet’s two digital marketing experts worked from ready-made lesson plans and materials to help teams of students solve a number of challenges as part of a nationwide competition. There are cash prizes for winning schools, and inspirational prizes for winning team members which have in the past included tours of Microsoft HQ and the Channel 4 studios.

BIMA Digital Day in numbers:

  • BIMA Digital Day has been held each November since 2011.
  • Approximately 200 schools and 5,000 young people around the UK participated in 2018.
  • More than 30,000 young people have taken part so far.
  • 76% of participants said they would consider a career in digital as a result of the day.