Over the last decade, advertising talent has been redefined. Technology, with all its potential and ambiguity, forced us to reevaluate. Agencies were bought and sold. Capabilities were broadened. Superstars were made. New roles were established. Entire departments were eliminated. Agency business models were shifted and repositioned. These changes required a new type of digital worker.

Today, agency reinvention continues to be a priority. We adjust agency processes, capabilities, and partnerships, trade talent at record speeds, support a small group of technology leaders, change seating arrangements, and force interdepartmental collaboration. Yet rarely do we invest in large-scale talent reinvention; rarely do we commit to what is arguably our most valuable asset in today’s agency landscape: the digital knowledge of employees.

Likewise, we seldom openly admit or discuss the fact that most of our employees are technologically illiterate or semi-literate (failing to understand in any depth topics such as social media, mobile, interaction design, and application development). Talent reeducation continues to take a back seat to the latest shiny offering, application, or platform. Most agency leaders are unsure about how to tackle this fundamental challenge: How do we continually elevate employee understanding of digital across all departments, all roles?

Future industry announcements should include details about agency education, not the latest hire.

Often the question is: How do we tackle what we don’t know? As our need for expert digital talent increases, so should our investment in cultivating and educating employees. Rather than agency learning and development being the first things to go, they should be the first things to stay. We should focus as diligently on training as we do on recruiting. Future industry announcements should include details about agency education, not the latest hire.

The requirements for new types of digital workers are not going away. Digital education is no longer a “nice to have.” It is an essential component of 21st-century-agency competitive advantage. How does your agency get started? How do you design, build, and implement an education program? What are the essential components? Who should teach classes? How do you measure success?

Whether you’re looking to tweak your existing digital education program or build a new one from scratch, here are some tips to get started: