Alliance between Sharp Thinking Marketing & The Skinners’ Kent Academy
Sharp Thinking have formed a partnership with Tunbridge Wells secondary school, The Skinners’ Kent Academy.
As an active member of the local community and business mentor to young entrepreneurs via the Kent Foundation, I was thrilled at this opportunity to give back further and help educate young people about marketing.
The curriculum at The Skinners’ Kent Academy is truly unique; Students attend their International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme which seeks not only academic progress but also encourages workplace readiness.
National Careers Week
My aim is to inspire students to carve out a career in marketing. It felt only perfect to launch this alliance during National Careers Week and the event was featured in the Times of Tunbridge Wells.
This nationwide event which takes place each year in March, is designed to give young people access to industry experts and aims to promote the importance of good career education in schools and colleges.
Suzanne Marshall, from The Skinners' Kent Academy said:
"National Careers Week serves as a reminder of the importance of career guidance and the impact it can have on young people's futures. We were thrilled to have Natalie share her valuable insights and guidance on pursuing a career in marketing. Her knowledge and experience in this field are invaluable and will undoubtedly benefit our students as they navigate their career paths."
Skills gaps
I had the opportunity to speak with sixth-form students about what it takes to get into marketing. Through a presentation, I highlighted the various areas of marketing such as market research, planning, social media, and advertising - identifying both hard/technical skills needed for each, along with the soft interpersonal skills.
Digital marketing has changed the job landscape and function of marketing dramatically, thus the key technical skills required. These now include social media, search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising, as well as the ability to use the hundreds of tools that have been created to plan, optimise and measure marketing, also known as the MarTech.
I emphasised that there is an ongoing skills gap in some of these fields which present a huge opportunity for young people and they can get ahead by dedicating time and accessing free online courses via Hubspot or Google Garage to learn some of these in demand skills. Work placements, internships and voluntary work are invaluable and this is how I've pivoted my career and got to where I wanted to be.
It's inspiring how committed young people are today when encouraged on their journey; something that carries special meaning for me personally after being inspired so much through my own teachers during school and college.
The alliance between Sharp Thinking and The Skinners’ Kent Academy will see us work together throughout 2023 to provide valuable advice for students looking for career guidance.
The sky’s the limit
The opportunities in marketing are limitless and it’s incredibly rewarding to work in this field. If you’re interested in exploring further, I encourage you to do your research and try to talk to people who are already working within the industry. By understanding the different aspects of this innovative and creative career, you can make informed decisions about which route to take when pursuing a career in marketing.
Read more about the skills needed in marketing to gain a deeper understanding and why I love my job as a marketing consultant - with knowledge comes power, after all!