Skills development within a fast-changing market – the IPA approach

Agenda

• Where we were

• Drivers for change

• Strategy

• Our approach

• The results

1980’s : the birth of the IPA 7 Stages Programme

From graduate to managing director

• Key practitioner skills at each stage of the career

path

• Delivered face to face by top agency practitioners

• Premium quality (with high appreciation rankings)

• Aimed at staff in full-service agencies (but primarily

account handling)

The ‘stars’ of the industry … 3% of all staff

0

100

200

300

400

500

ResidentialCourses

NonResidentialCourses

Delegates

1999

Late ’90’s – a changing environment

Client Side Agency Side

• More demanding Media separation

• Better trained Diversification

• More complex businesses Integration

• More complex markets Consultants

Want business understanding Blurring of roles

Industry Research - 1999

• Interviews amongst CEO’s and agency trainers

• Cottage industry attitude: ‘It’s all about ads,

isn’t it’

• Training optional – and vulnerable

• Great variety of approach

• No overall industry strategy

War for Talent

• Forecast decline in 18-25 year olds

• Training & development at top of student wish

list for first job

• Greater competition for creatively-oriented

students

• Need to appeal to greater diversity of talent

The Five Year Plan

‘To raise the real and perceived value of advertising and

marketing communications agencies in the IPA

membership.’ (Through increased professionalism, leading

to better work and better client agency relationships, and

resulting in improved remuneration.)

IPA Council

Our strategy - a multi-layered people development support package

First layer: a best practice standard in people development

• Review of other trade body schemes and other

professional standards (eg law, accountancy)

• Assessment of other government-led quality

standards eg Investors in People

• Decision to develop tailor-made scheme based on

IiP

• On-line management to attract widespread usage

What it should do for the Industry

• Provide greater credibility as a profession:

amongst both clients and students

• Act as a minimum standard to encourage

better practices

• Encourage better retention of talent once in

the industry

What it should do for the IPA member agency

• Provide a best practice framework that can be

tailored to the agency’s business and cultural

needs – and makes things happen!

• A system that links training investment to

bottom line performance

• An electronic people management resource

• Recognition of quality standard amongst client

community

What it should provide for the individual

• Support for growth and career development, linked to

agency goals

• A personal, portable archive of learning achievements

• Promote greater sharing of knowledge within agency

• Encourage greater appreciation of different sources of

learning

• Stimulate individual ownership of career development

• Provide access to professional qualifications

The IPA CPD Accreditation Standard- 4 key criteria -

• Professional development plan linked to business

objectives – to encourage forward resource planning

• Inductions – so staff operate efficiently and to a focus

• Appraisals – to appreciate own contribution to focus

• Maintenance of individual cpd logs (with min. 16 hours)

– to capture all learning

Stephen Woodford’s vision

“To prepare and sustain people of all disciplines for a

lifelong career in the business through accessibility and

reinforcement of knowledge acquisition”

IPA President: 2003-2005

Excellence Diploma in Brand Communications

Direct

or

Legal and Regulatory Certificate(mandatory)

Senio

r

Manager

IPA Advanced Certificate in Comms Planning & Implementation

Junio

r

Manager

IPA Foundation Certificate in Brand CommunicationsTra

inee

Second layer: a professional qualifications portfolio

Online approach to delivery

• Low cost option to encourage uptake

• Enables self managed learning

• Opportunity for online interaction with learners

• Easily updatable

• Restricted to and easily accessed by CPD users

in IPA agencies nationwide

Working partnership with V-On

Foundation Certificate: Key Innovations

• First online learning programme for the industry

which provided true regional accessibility

• Automatic study time upload onto CPD log

• Self tests

• Content management system for updating and

learner status management

IPA Advanced Certificate inCommunications Planning

and Implementation

The context

• Full service agency deconstruction has led to the rise of

specialist agencies … and yet clients look today for

integrated solutions

• Specialisation has led to knowledge gaps between

agencies and we need to plug those gaps to raise the

professionalism and confidence of our people at key

career stages

Key Objectives

Purpose

• Bridge gap between junior and experienced practitioners

• Provide tangible evidence of attainment

• Enhance their professional status

• Enable more confidence in their knowledge

• Extend knowledge beyond nuts and bolts of their daily craft

• Deepen understanding of media beyond their specialisation

Target 

• 2 - 4/5 years in the business

Modular Programme

Module Author Month Exam Re-sit date

The media business context Daren Rubins 5th March 30th March 13th August

Metrics for success Steve Williams 2nd April 27th April 14th August

Brand behaviour through media Philip Walker 7th May 1st June 15th August

Planning for integration Peter Bowman 4th June 29th June 16th August

Regulatory and commercial context Marina Palomba 2nd July 27th July 17th August

Elective batch A

(Radio / Cinema / Regional press)

Howard Bareham

Andy Jones

Les Middleton

3rd September 28th September 9th December

Elective batch B

(Press / Response

media / Out of home)

Tom George

Andy Sloan

Glen Wilson

1st October 26th October 11th December

Elective batch C

(Online & mobile / Television /

Sponsorship)

Matt Gilbert

Jim Marshall

David Peters

5th November 30th November 13th December

Advanced Certificate Final

Exam

January n/a

Advanced Certificate: Key Innovations

• Online exams

• Date-specified

• Time-limited

• Online re-sits with 24 month programme access

• Online booking and payment

• Electives

Key Objectives of the IPA Leg Regs Certificate

(Legislation and Regulatory Issues)Purpose

• Ensure clear understanding of the basic legislation and regulatory issues that affect development of creative work

• Reduce cost of write-offs

• Develop area of specialist knowledge within account handling

Target 

• Voted by IPA Council to be a mandatory for all account handling staff

• CPD accreditation adapted to monitor this in future

LegRegs Certificate: Key Innovations

• On line exam on demand

• Random bank of questions

• Automatic notification of results

• Electronic delivery of certificate (note:

potential universe of over 3,500 account

management staff)

IPA Excellence Diploma – ‘The Power of i’

Nick Kendall – Executive Planning Director, BBH

and Programme Director

Excellence Diploma: Key Innovations

• Online learner community space

• Message board interaction

• Electronic uploads of assignment

• Learner archive for notes

Third layer: a varied approach to experiential learning

0 10 20 30 40 50

Evening Courses

Half Day Workshops

1-2 Day workshops

Residential Courses

Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

Stage Five

Stage Four

Stage Seven

Stage Six

Excellence Diploma

LegRegs Certificate

Advanced Certificate

Foundation Certificate

IPA Seven Stages career development programme

IPA CPD Qualifications online portfolio

IPA CPD + workshops

How it all fits together

So, has it worked?

Whilst agency spend on IPA Training has not grown significantly over last five years

…..

700

750

800

850

900

950

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Agency spend

…significantly greater numbers of delegates are taking part

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2002 2006

Courses

Workshops

Craft Skills

Prof Qual

Total

ie 10% of all IPA member staff

… driven by growth in agency CPD compliance

0

50

100

150

200

250

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Accredited

Committed

And the breadth of CPD uptake amongst

IPA agency staffCPD Logs

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000

2000

2003

2006

Ever growing demand for CPD qualifications

Foundation Certificate holders now total c.2000

Advanced Certificate borne out of candidate request for ‘interim stage’ between Foundation Certificate and more stretching Excellence Diploma

164 candidates booked on 2007 Advanced Certificate and likely to grow exponentially 0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

FoundationCertificate pool

2004

2005

2006

2007

Advanced Certificate delegate quotes

• “I think this is a brilliant idea!”

• “I really got a lot out of the material”

• “The use of facts and contemporary case studies brought the issues to life”

• “Perfect step up for post-Foundation qualification”

87% of all new starters take the Foundation Certificate and rate it

highly

0 20 40 60 80 100

Good Experience

Highly Relevant

Easy to Use

Recommend

All Round

Source: Foundation Certificate User Survey, base 755

%

Other key indicators have improved

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

2004 2005 2006

Churn rate

Ethnic Diversity

Source: IPA Census

More agencies take part

0 20 40 60 80 100

2004

2005

2006

2007

NB: 12% = agencies outside of London

From training the ‘stars’ to ‘training democracy’

0

500

1000

1500

2000

1999 2006

Delegates

Thank you