The DMA said it supported ‘micro-upskilling’, which is where employees have regular, structured e-learning and professional development lasting as little as an hour a week.

Micro-upskilling could help professionalise the industry, fuel growth in the UK’s digital economy and address industry-wide skills and talent shortages.

A recent DMA poll found that 70% of people in the industry upskill less than an hour a week, and the DMA said that more investment was needed from businesses in professional development.

The DMA also called on the government to deliver a unified National Data Strategy to showcase the respected careers in marketing that talent with creative, data or digital skills can thrive in.

Rachel Aldighieri, managing director at the DMA, said: “Our community needs to act now to help reduce creative, data and digital skills gaps and talent shortages seen across the UK’s digital economy.

“We want to future-proof the data-driven marketing industry and fuel economic growth by addressing the current skills crisis.”

Aldighieri added: “We’d like the UK government, supported by industry bodies like the DMA, to take a more proactive role in upskilling and reskilling the nation with core creative, data and digital skills.

“Utilising government and industry initiatives such as apprenticeship and retraining schemes. We want to drive responsible growth through the professionalisation of our industry.”