Launched today, 2nd Skill is a unique online joint venture of The One Club and School of Visual Concepts (SVC) specifically developed to help traditional ad creatives - art directors, graphic designers, copywriters - to add new skill sets in UX Design, UI/Visual Design and Content Strategy/UX Writing to propel their second career.
2nd Skill will open the door to new job opportunities for ad creatives by offering part-time programs, taught online two nights per week for nine months. The program also helps address the ad industry's ageism problem, providing an opportunity for experienced creatives to retrain and upskill for new job openings.
2nd Skill launches at a challenging time in the ad industry. According to research from Forrester, U.S. agencies will shed 52,000 jobs in 2020-2021, with half of them not coming back. At the same time, positions in UX, UI and content strategy - generally starting at around $100,000 annually - are in high demand across the country.
In addition, a recent search on LinkedIn for full-time U.S. creative industry jobs revealed fewer than 1,500 open spots for art directors and copywriters, while there were more than 33,000 current openings for UX designers, UI visual designers, and content strategists.
"The ad industry structure has been upended, first by changes in how brands market to customers and then from pandemic-related budget cuts and layoffs," commented Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club. "Traditional ad creatives already have a well-developed first skill set. 2nd Skill is all about upskilling these creatives, arming them with an additional new toolbox that makes them uniquely qualified and highly desirable for the more than 33,000 good-paying openings in today's job market."
2nd Skill kicks off with spots limited to 48 qualified art directors, designers, and copywriters - 16 for each of UX Design, UI/Visual Design, and Content Strategy/UX Writing programs. Courses will be held online -- two nights per week and on select Saturdays -- for nine months. Enrollment is $11,500, with optional mentorship and one-on-one career coaching available at additional costs.
The program curriculum consists of core topics, workshops, and optional mentoring by appointment. Topics for the UI/Visual Design track include responsive design and visual design for mobile apps, while the UX track covers areas such as information architecture, principles of interaction design, and user research. Workshops include type and icons for digital, design systems, and accessibility.
more: 2ndskill.org (94)