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Kickstarting new careers in adland
Forever Beta senior strategist David Craft talks about how the Government Kickstart Scheme has been successful and benefited both Forever Beta and their intern Uzoma Patrick-Ogbu, whilst addressing the crucial issue of DE&I within our industry.
David Craft
Senior Strategist Forever BetaShuffling around in an uncomfortable plastic chair in the Stratford Job Centre was not a typical start to my week, but that's exactly where I found myself a couple of months ago. I was out of my comfort zone, but then nothing worthwhile would ever get done if we all sat within the realms of where we felt most comfortable.
I was keen to find an eager individual who wanted to learn all about adland and who could even teach us a thing or two. We didn’t expect to get so lucky with Uzo, hardworking and inquisitive, it’s inconceivable to think had we not got involved with the Kickstart Scheme we would have never found him.
We need to cast our net wide and go out in search of talent. Talent won't just come to us
David Craft is Senior Strategist at Forever Beta
Identifying the huge issue of DE&I talent recruitment and retention in adland is only the tip of the iceberg. We can have meeting after meeting discussing the issue, but unless we are prepared to take action, the problem will remain the same. Which is why I found myself in that job centre.
Forever Beta wants to focus on opening doors to people who may have never considered advertising as a career, so we signed up to the government's Kickstart Scheme. The scheme provides funding to create new jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. The initiative places people into companies ranging from advertising to tech, construction and hospitality - paying them for 3 days a week work whilst giving them valuable experience and skills to start their careers.
There is a huge issue around DE&I where we don’t actually go out seeking it. How can we ensure agency life is diverse when everyone is white and middle class? We need to cast our net wide and go out in search of talent. Talent won't just come to us.
On the last day before the scheme ended I sat eagerly with all the information about Forever Beta and the ad world, people were free to come and go as they pleased and essentially had an on the spot interview. I was struggling to find someone who was a good fit and shared the innate curiosity we have at Forever Beta, until Uzo. A passionate individual from Stratford with a degree in marketing. He didn’t know what agency life was like or what to expect and thought marketing was only client side. He is enthusiastic and keen to learn. Part of this experience is to help Uzo figure out his career, right now he is a research assistant as that is what Forever Beta is in need of, but he moves around other departments and is involved in different parts of the business, always delivering amazing results. The scheme offers opportunities, with the best outcome being people gaining full time employment, and at worst they will get valuable skills for their CV - but they would have gotten a foot in the door, it’s a win win.
We asked Uzo to tell us in his own words what it was like to work with us through the scheme and how working together has strengthened Forever Beta as an innovative inclusive agency.
Q&A with UZO
Q: Tell us a bit about your background?
A: I’m originally from Newham Stratford and graduated from Leicester Uni with a degree in advertising and marketing. I knew through university some roles that were possible within the industry, but wasn’t informed you could work on the agency side.
Q: Why did you get involved in Kick start?
A: My friend recommended it to me, as I knew someone who has his own clothing brand and was employing people as 6 months interns. I wanted to give it a go. I was aware I needed experience to get a full time position within the industry and wanted to explore the different types of positions.
Q: What barriers did you feel you would face/did face for entry into the industry?
A: When I first started I was conscious of being the only minority, which I thought would be a barrier. Instead it’s the complete opposite, I feel empowered by being a minority - nothing is too hard to overcome, it makes me stand out, and I want to work harder and hopefully help in making the industry more visible to minorities.
I also was concerned that I’ve only ever worked in retail before this role and was worried my lack of office experience would be an issue. It was a relief when everyone was welcoming and supportive.
Q: Did you get help/support from any other areas?
A: Quite a lot of the time I'm based at home, but I get a lot of support from the team. They are always asked about capacity and timings so I can manage my workload and involve me in meetings.
Outside of working for Forever Beta I make small content videos which my colleagues are actually helping me with and offering their own time and resources for my personal development on these projects. I’d love to expand on my creative output, maybe into graphic design or photography.
Q: What are you finding challenging?
A: There are some clients where the work is not as interesting as others, but I have to appreciate they might be the bigger accounts or be producing more work. To make it easier to digest, I try to add things like bright colours and images to the decks.
Q: What type of skills have you acquired?
A: I’ve actually never been in an office before, so the experience was completely new for me. I’ve learnt and adapted to working within a team, organisation, creating the presentation and decks and gaining leadership skills. I’ve never been in charge of an account or had that level of responsibility where I am an admin on the linkedin and Instagram accounts.
Q: Has the experience made you consider a career in advertising in the future?
A: It's definitely given me more confidence and knowledge of the industry and to actually apply for positions. Mostly it's given me more reassurance that this is what I want to do in the future.
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