Agencies set to raise teacher profile

Teaching is set to become the latest profession to turn to

advertising to boost its image.

The Teacher Training Ag-ency, a government-funded body responsible for

ensuring there are enough teachers in the UK, has briefed ten London

agencies about an advertising account that could run into millions of

pounds.

DMB&B, Saatchi and Saatchi, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Delaney Fletcher

Bozell, J. Walter Thompson and Butler Lutos Sutton Wilkinson were among

the agencies that met representatives of the TTA earlier this month.

Also present were representatives of the direct marketing operation,

EWA, and the public relations companies, Hill and Knowlton and Lowe

Bell.

The TTA is thought to be considering above- and below-the-line

solutions.

Each agency has been asked to make submissions by 3 March on how

teaching could be portrayed as a valuable, long-term profession and how

more teachers could be recruited.

The Government sets teacher quotas each year which the TTA strives to

fill with variable success. This year, the Universities and Colleges

Admissions Service has reported a 12 per cent drop in applications for

training courses.

Now the TTA has decided a larger than usual portion of its pounds 10

million promotional budget needs to be devoted to advertising or other

forms of communication.

The TTA also wants to attract brighter teachers and recruits from

diverse sections of society.

One industry source explained: ’The TTA recognises that it must change

the way people think about teaching and it knows it is not going to do

that cheaply.’

Agencies will also be asked for suggestions on revamping the TTA’s

Internet site as students are frequent visitors to the Net.

Last year, the Law Society hired J. Walter Thompson to its fledgling

advertising account and the Government put pounds 1 million behind a

campaign to recruit more nurses.

This article was first published on Campaign