SHORT MARKETING TRAINING PROGRAMMES FROM THE IMM GSM

Business intelligence is the weapon required when dealing in a competitive business environment. There is therefore no excuse for individuals not to be trained.

"Instrumental in assisting the nation into meeting some of the national developmental goals are the numerous short training programmes on offer. Besides the formal qualification programmes, such as certificate, diploma and degree programmes, education and training institutions may offer short training programmes, which comprise less than 120 credits and may lead to a formal qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). A 120 credit programme is normally associated with one year of full-time learning," said Nina Venter, dean of the IMM Graduate School of Marketing. "The most popular short programmes will stretch from one day to five days. The popularity of these programmes is because they have become a highly effective, flexible and economical method of upgrading job skills. This is despite the fact that they are fairly unregulated in comparison to full programme offerings," said Venter. Marketing is fundamental to the success of any business. All individuals in South Africa need to be able to market their company, their product or service, and, for that matter themselves. The need for competent marketers is recognised by most sectors in the business arena, right from customer service through to marketing directors.

In addition to its higher education offerings, the IMM GSM has long recognised that staff at all levels need to continue to develop their skills and keep up-to-date with changing policies, concepts and modern theory. In fact, as the world of business is changing to rapidly, individuals also frequently need to acquire new skills and expertise.

The executive education arm of the IMM GSM, the IMM Global School of Business (IMM Global) is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in professional marketing and business training and offers a wide range of customised in-house and short learning skills development programmes to assist employees and companies in keeping abreast of business, marketing and their related fields.

In-Company Learning Programmes (INCO) are fully customised to ensure company-relevant context and most importantly to meet the specific needs of an organisation. The added benefit of these programmes is that these newly-obtained skills can be immediately applied in the employee's business environment.

Through in-depth consultation and, if necessary, in-house research, the training needs of the company are identified to ensure that the most appropriate knowledge, skills and aptitudes are developed during training. The type of industry and its challenges are researched and understood by the programme facilitator. In this way, participants are taught to source different methods and specific manner of application, thus achieving success within the organisation.

Whilst the training is often held on-site, the IMM GSM has excellent training facilities. Another integral part of IMM Global's executive education are the practical short courses, varying in duration from two to four days, which are delivered at the IMM GSM campus in Johannesburg.

The extensive array of Short Learning Programmes (SLPs) and workshops is available to individuals or to companies who wish to upskill their employees in specific areas of business or marketing. All programmes include a practical focus, which facilitates instant application of the skills in the workplace.

IMM Global's executive education programmes include all aspects of marketing and sales, as well as key business-oriented programmes, targeted at those who wish to improve their personal and organisational effectiveness.

According to Professor Zak Nel, academic head of the IMM Graduate School of Marketing, some useful guidelines in assessing the value and benefit of the investment in short training programmes include the following that should be asked:

• What exactly are the intended outcomes of the training programme? This should be clearly specified in a written document.
• Is the training programme designed in terms of any unit standards? If so, how will the mastering of the unit standards be assessed?
• How often has the training programme been offered previously and how many people have attended?
• What learning material is supplied with the programme? Is it necessary to work through any of the learning material before the start of the programme?
• Who is the facilitator delivering the programme? Is the person an accredited trainer or facilitator and what special expertise does he/she have?
• What follow-up work and monitoring are required from the attendees?
Is the programme recognised by a professional body for continued professional development (CPD) purposes?