CIM launches new Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in UK

The Chartered Institute of Marketing last week announced that it is to introduce a new syllabus for the Professional Diploma and launch a new Chartered Postgraduate Diploma in marketing which will replace their current Professional Postgraduate Diploma qualification.
The new Chartered Postgraduate Diploma is very different to the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in that it includes two complete stages (Stage 1 and Stage 2). Both diploma qualifications will be available for study from July this year from Accredited Study Centres throughout the UK.
These two diplomas are designed as practitioner qualifications with lots of opportunities for students to relate with their daily work in their own organisation. The assessments are through work-based projects with just one examination. This very practical method of study ensures that the benefits are immediately realised in the workplace.
The launch marks the end of a thorough period of development and consultation with academics, Accredited Study Centres, and employers, to ensure that the qualifications are relevant for today’s marketing practitioners in an increasingly competitive business environment.
Commenting on the qualifications, Professor Keith Fletcher, director of education at The Chartered Institute of Marketing said: Employers should see a real benefit from staff taking the new qualifications as they will be equipped with practical skills to deliver immediate value to the organisation.
“With competition in the profession hotting up and top marketing roles difficult to secure, every marketer, whatever their age, needs to demonstrate a thorough and up-to-date understanding of their role. In addition, with the current challenging economic climate, marketers need to ensure that they can confidently demonstrate their positive contribution to business, and a professional qualification will help them to do this,” added Fletcher.
The Institute periodically reviews its qualifications to ensure that they are relevant to both marketers’ needs and the requirements of business. Over the years, the core theory of marketing has changed little. However the role of marketing in business worldwide has changed significantly, largely due to technology and a growing awareness of corporate social responsibility but also by organisations recognising that they have a number of stakeholders rather than simply a number of different external customer groups, and these new qualifications take these subtle changes into consideration.
The qualifications incorporate the National Occupational Standards in Marketing as specified by the Government-funded Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body (MSSSB).