Zenith Australia has announced the launch of ‘Zen Academy’ aimed at training junior staff and developing the next generation of leaders.
Zen Academy will pilot in Q1 of next year, consisting of in-person and online training of four 6-month modules – Investment, Strategy, Planning, and Digital. Once the program is fully operational, staff members that complete each module and pass Zenith’s testing criteria will receive formal accreditation and 6-month salary increases.
Research conducted by Zenith revealed that junior recruits are seeking variety and progression early in their career. The Zen Academy’s training program allows for coordinator level staff to progress to an executive level role in a matter of 12 months – with the right foundations to flourish in their next role and continue their career progression. Armed with hybrid training and a diverse skillset, they can then choose to specialise at management level, while having the option to pivot and explore alternative areas of specialisation in the future.
Nickie Scriven, CEO at Zenith Australia said “The Zen Academy is our answer to the industry’s undeniable talent shortage. As change accelerates, we need to find a way to round out our people’s skills and support them upward, so that they’re not operating in silos, but instead understanding how each piece plays into each other. Having a knowledge of the full media landscape will unlock their potential to assume roles across various disciplines, and importantly, within leadership.”
“The academy’s purpose directly aligns with our mission at Zenith, ‘solving for the now, and what’s next to drive growth’. We are so excited to launch our Zen Academy – to develop future leaders with far-reaching skills, and ultimately stay in tune with the needs of our industry.”
New junior staff will form the Zen Academy class of 2022, and Zenith will rollout bespoke training programs for existing coordinator and executive level staff, following the pilot.