Filling the Gap

An article on a talent shortage in Digital Marketing conjures up a solution to long-term economic concerns cited in an assessment of the Great Depression and the current economic slump.

Joseph Stiglitz identifies parallels between our current economic crisis and the Great Depression in "The Book of Jobs". He identifies the cause for both as a failure to acknowledge, and address, a "shift in the 'real' economy", from agriculture to manufacturing back then, and from manufacturing to services now. Along the way he points out:

Unemployed young people are alienated. It will be harder and harder to get some large proportion of them onto a productive track. They will be scarred for life by what is happening today.

Writing about the "Digital Marketing: Organisational Structures and Resourcing report", in his Econsultancy article "The ticking digital talent time bomb", Neil Perkin writes:

According to [Eric Shmidt]: "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made." There is even a well-supported government e-petition that has been started in order to encourage the government to start teaching coding as a part of the curriculum in Year 5.

There is much to do, but given the wide and growing requirement for these skills it makes sense for organisations from many different sectors to support initiatives such as this.

As businesses increasingly adopt strategies that require depth of expertise in these increasingly in-demand areas, it also makes sense for them to take action to protect themselves from the inevitable challenges this will bring.

This includes creating working environments that will attract the best digital talent, and through effective career and succession planning. The ticking digital marketing talent time bomb is very real, and it's not going away.

I've worked in web development, primarily in Digital Marketing, for the past 15 years. There is a very real shortage of talent in this field today. Higher Ed graduates aren't prepared to do the 'real' work, though.

Apprenticeships, internships, hands-on learning and exposure could not only bridge the career gap, but in many cases could supersede costly degree programs that are also becoming a drain on the economy and future financial well-being.