On course to climb high up career ladder

As the economy edges towards recovery, brands are switching their attention away from business survival to equipping marketers with up-to-date skills.

Jeremy Shaw

Chairman, Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw

There will be more internal training workshops and these will not necessarily be skills-based. We are planning sessions on the secrets of success and the real causes of the recession. We will also bring in artists and musicians to talk to our staff about what inspires them creatively.

 

Clare Myerson

European people and practices manager, The Marketing Store

Employees will expect to go on structured and rewarding personal development journeys so they can build their own personal brand and develop new skills. Specific training this year will focus on strategic insight, interpersonal skills, leadership and management.

Heather Westgate

Partner, TDA

Prudence is still the word when it comes to training budgets, which means more considered sharing of existing in-house skills and expertise. The increased use of audio and video tools means it is possible to record training sessions for employees to fit around their needs and schedules.

 

Sam Jordan
Managing director, Baber Smith

With the ever-increasing digitalisation of marketing around mobile and social media, it is vital that marketers have a strong digital understanding to come up with imaginative solutions for clients. With a more positive economic outlook, I see more training in areas like presenting and selling ideas effectively.

Mark Runacus
Chief strategy officer, HS&P

There will still be a demand for discipline training and vocational courses offered by the IPA, the IDM and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) to develop core skills. There is also a growing need to help staff with life and social skills.

 

 

Matthias Quadflieg

Chief operating officer, Adconion Media Group

We invest 10% of our net profit in staff training and the emphasis this year will be on developing employees’ networking, communication and presentation skills. There is also a need to train staff in your company information to ensure they are knowledgeable and remain engaged.

Tim Knight

Director, Nunwood

The emphasis this year will be on developing business acumen. This means understanding the corporate decision-making process and finance. We also plan to send staff on a theatre skills course because market researchers aren’t good at getting their clients excited about what they do.

 

Paul Anderson
Strategic marketing consultant, Emailvision and lecturer in marketing, Hull University

Our main training spend this year will be on educating marketing staff in areas that deliver measurable return on investment such as search engine optimisation, email marketing, social media and mobile. Marketers also need the skills to understand the numbers so they can utilise different media more effectively.

Sam Brownfield

CEO, Tradewind London

Agency staff will need a deep understanding of digital marketing. People need to find out why the internet was conceived, how it actually works in practice and why social media has always been sitting at the heart of it.

 

FIGURE FOCUS

Training in numbers

  • Training spend through the MCCA fell from £143,000 in 2008 to £134,000 last year. The MCCA hopes to generate £166,000 from training in 2010.
  • The CIM’s revenues from learning and development fell by 24% in the 12 months to June 2009 but more than 7,000 marketers still went on CIM courses.
  • The CIM’s marketing trends survey shows that 52% of members expect to pay for staff training in digital/social media with 19% buying in external training expertise.
  • The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development says 70% of all organisations, not just those in marketing, have a training budget for 2010, a fall of 7% on last year. The average training spend per employee across the economy is £220, down from £300 last year.

Sources: CIM, MCCA, CIPD

IN THE MARKET

10 suppliers you need to know

1 The Chartered Institute of Marketing Delivers accredited, practice-based qualifications to professional marketers through its UK and international network of study centres. www.cim.co.uk

2 The Institute of Direct Marketing European body for the professional development of direct, data and digital marketing.www.theidm.com

3 Marketing Communication Consultants Association Has a comprehensive collection of courses for marketing agencies. www.mcca.org.uk

4 Internet Advertising Bureau Has a programme of training aimed at all levels to improve marketers’ knowledge of digital marketing. www.iabuk.net

5 Brand Learning Offers tailored marketing leadership programmes and runs the Marketing Leaders Programme in association with The Marketing Society.www.brandlearning.com

6 Manchester Metropolitan University Its marketing and retail division specialises in business and management and offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. www.business.mmu.ac.uk

7 The Marketers’ Forum Training and career development company that claims to outperform the national average exam results for CIM and CAM by more than 15%.www.themarketersforum.co.uk

8 Digital Training Academy Runs about 40 training courses on subjects such as online ad effectiveness and social media campaign management.www.digitaltrainingacademy.com

9 London School of Business and Finance Offers a wide range of accreditations, including an online study programme.www.lsbf.org.uk

10 Imparta A global company that takes a blended learning approach to link practical marketing with real business issues and marketing challenges.www.imparta.com

IN PRACTICE

Top tips you need to know

  • Make sure people understand how the training will benefit them and the business.
  • Ensure training is linked to the needs of the organisation.
  • Decide the best way to deliver the training. Should it be face-to-face, online or a mixture of both?
  • If the training budget is tight, prioritise courses that can help improve skills to benefit the business sooner rather than later.
  • The CIPD says a lack of training is a major reason why talented people leave companies.
  • Measure the effectiveness of all training, whether in-house or from external suppliers.