Fedma shacks up with IDM to tackle skills shortage

Fedma, the European direct marketing industry body which can trace its roots back to 1980, is aiming to tackle the modern day problem of a looming digital skills shortage by joining forces with the IDM.
With the estimated turnover of the pan-European digital economy expected to reach £182bn (€216bn) in 2016, businesses have to evolve to new online communications channels and trends.
In fact, a recent British Chamber of Commerce’s workforce survey found that two-thirds of businesses consider tech knowledge a key skill when hiring new staff, with a quarter of these companies reporting a digital skills shortage.
This gap in digital skills is already significant, which is why Fedma set up the Fedma European Assessment Centre (FEAC) accreditation to assist the industry in finding recommended training programmes that will help bridge the divide within their organisation.
The IDM has joined this European initiative to help the next generation of marketers acquire the data and digital skills they need, with accredited courses now available including The IDM Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing; The IDM Professional Diploma in Direct & Digital Marketing; The IDM Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Marketing and The IDM Postgraduate Diploma in Direct & Digital Marketing.
The IDM also offers a range of dedicated short courses, specialising on data protection.
Fedma secretary general Sébastien Houzé (pictured) said: “Data is the lifeblood of many companies and particular the marketers within those businesses. As such, we need people that are able to interpret that insight and then use it to drive creativity and help to predict the right customer journey on a one-to-one level. However, the data-driven marketing industry must remain respectful in this digital marketplace, always ensuring they put the consumer first. The customer is always right and online trust is the key, making compliance and education a driving factor in forming a long-term relationship between customer and brand.”
IDM managing director Jane Cave added: “We live in an increasingly connected world and every interaction between customers and brands is creating data, so it’s more important than ever that marketing teams have the right skills within their teams to decide if, how and when to use this insight. In this ever-changing digital marketing landscape, it’s more important than ever to be prepared. For many businesses that will mean hiring and training staff with the right data and digital marketing skills to help navigate this uncertain future. For some this may require dramatic changes in how they work, but one thing that is clear is that those businesses that act now will reap their rewards in the coming years.”