It’s no secret that Adland has a talent shortage, particularly for positions in the programmatic space and related technical slots, and more broadly as viewed through the lens of diversity—a challenge the industry has struggled with for years.  

Now the American Association of Advertising Agencies has inked a partnership with a recruiting firm—Catalyte--designed help member agencies address both of those gaps. 

The partners are announcing the arrangement today but have been working together for about six months. Additionally, Catalyte has filled hundreds of jobs at agencies and holding companies. 

Catalyte, which is steeped in digital media expertise, says it is on a mission to redefine hiring in America by “elevating aptitude over pedigree.” The partnership with the 4A’s will enable members to hire from an expanded pool of vetted candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.  

“We find talent where others aren’t looking,” said Matt Derella, the former Twitter Chief Customer Officer who joined Catalyte as CEO late last year. "Talent is everywhere if you know where to look for it.”  

The focus of the partnership is on entry-level jobs but with recruits that undergo an intensive “apprenticeship” training course at Catalyte, founded as a software engineering company over 20 years ago.  

Recruits undergo Catalyte’s proprietary, AI-powered screening to determine if they have the combination of “aptitude and attitude” to succeed in the advertising and marketing industry.  

Candidates go through a rigorous interview process and are selected for apprenticeship development. Over eight weeks, apprentices are paid to learn the skills needed to excel in their prospective industry roles.  

Apprentices then head to 4A’s member organizations for a limited contract period. According to the company this allows agencies to evaluate an apprentice before agreeing to hire them full time. So far, the conversion rate is just over 90%. Once recruits join an agency, “they are ready from day one and hit the ground running,” says Derella. 

The Catalyte platform is designed to eliminate bias and find talented employees from non-traditional sources. Of the digital media apprentices deployed to date, 63% identified as BIPOC and 80% identified as from an underrepresented community.  

Historically, 44% of apprentices joining Catalyte did not have a four-year college degree and 77% had no prior work experience in their new career pathway. 

In addition to 4A’s certification (from the organization’s Learning Institute), recruits are trained for certification with Google, The Trade Desk and other advertising and marketing tech firms.  

Derella said that among other things the 4As arrangement “helps guide us on the needs that agencies have.” Programmatic and other digital slots are the start, but the groups say the remit will expand to positions in business development, account management and project management in 2023 with additional disciplines rolling out in 2024 and beyond. 

“We are always looking for new partners that can support our membership,” said Marla Kaplowitz, President and CEO of the 4A’s. Catalyte’s apprenticeship program, she added, addresses two of the industry's biggest challenges.