Why marketers in SA are making time to study further

"The global economic climate is still on the upswing following 2008's recession, triggering an aggressive appetite for growth across industries. Organisations across the board are once again looking for highly skilled human capital to take their businesses to the next level, and lucrative opportunities for promising graduates are abundant." continues Bizcommunity.com. 

Photo: GetSmarter

SA's 2013 Job Opportunities and Unemployment survey found that advertising and marketing managers had the 5th highest number of vacancies in South Africa in the managerial occupational group - evidence of the growing demand for professionals with the kind managerial expertise and business insight gained from formal study.

The marketing industry wants you to step up
A personal commitment to lifelong learning is your most transferable competitive edge. And that's especially true in the ever-changing marketing industry - the careers that exist in the field of marketing today are far more diverse and numerous than when the profession first came into its own.

Formal business acumen and managerially-focused qualifications are therefore two of the most valuable skills marketers can develop if they wish to accelerate their advancement to high-level marketing management roles.   

Online learning: the busy marketer's one-way ticket to the top
In a relentlessly competitive environment, formal education in both marketing theory and general management is fast becoming a prerequisite for advancement in marketing management, yet finding time to acquire these skills while working in this fast-paced industry can be tough.

Which is why marketing professionals are turning to part-time studies to keep their analytical minds razor-sharp and acquire the leadership skills needed to advance a career to management level. The University of Cape Town, in a strategic partnership with Across Africa and premier online education company GetSmarter, is rising to the challenge of bringing South Africa's new network of ambitious, hybrid marketers up to speed with the international standard of this booming industry.

The prestigious UCT Postgraduate Diploma in Management in Marketing is now available online, through blended learning mode, to working professionals and recent graduates throughout the country. This cutting-edge learning delivery format offers the eternally busy marketing executive the opportunity formalise their skills with a top-tier tertiary qualification, while retaining full-time employment and advancing a career in the industry.

"The foundation of the programme is deeply rooted in both the Business Science degree and the specialist marketing education for which UCT is so renowned. Now that we're able to offer this programme in blended learning, we can extend the reach of our student base. And because we're offering it part-time, over two years, it means that students who are working now have access to the education that's previously been restricted only to those who have the luxury of a year off."

• Alison Meadows, UCT Section Head for Applied Management

Source: Bizcommunity.com