Employment-Ready Digital Media Trainees

Employment-Ready Digital Media Trainees

AUCKLAND – 13 March 2017

For Immediate Release

Auckland based company FutureYou has launched an innovative initiative to teach university graduates specific skills for entry roles in the digital media industry. These are for companies such as media publishers, sales networks, media agencies and marketers who in many cases have severe skill shortages due to digital’s explosive growth.

The FutureYou Academy aims to bridge the gap between tertiary education and industry practices so that its trainees can contribute positively to an employer’s business from day one.

Director Michael Te Young believes the talent shortage is the number one issue in the industry. According to Te Young paucity of skilled resource makes training difficult, especially at scale. “Some companies have programmes in place but the reality is that digital staff have to conduct the training and that just intensifies pressure on their workloads. So the programme becomes inconsistent because at the end of the day doing the business is the highest priority. On top of that, utilising new starters is even more challenging because they don’t become effective until after being trained.”

The Academy is a hybrid training and recruitment business model. It screens and selects its trainees carefully before putting them through the course. Once completed, they are presented to partner companies who put them through their own selection process. If successfully employed, the company pays a simple placement fee.

Te Young wants to provide a solution by producing a superior pool of trainee talent from which employers can recruit. Unlike other courses the Academy is not holistic but instead focuses on teaching four practical digital media competencies: Understanding reports, managing campaigns, constructing proposals and creating media plans. Students are also required to sit their Google AdWords Fundamentals exam.

Once a contract is signed, FutureYou can facilitate a company induction programme before the trainee commences to tailor them further to the employer’s business. They will also support the trainee during their first 3 month’s employment to monitor their progress and help fill any knowledge gaps.

KBR Digital is a company that hired one of the Academy’s trainees Richard Morhall. GM Allanah Tatana says “From an employer’s perspective hiring someone fresh out of the FutureYou Academy was a no brainer. The Academy set up Richard for success by teaching him the foundations of the digital world and he easily slotted into our business ready to take on the challenges of daily work life. He has been at KBR for 4 months and is hungry, motivated and super smart”

Te Young is focusing on placements for the remaining trainees from the pilot course and is currently recruiting the second intake.

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