Investing in professional development for your marketing team is an effective way to embrace new marketing strategies, build a strong team and help your brand reach new audiences – but what is the best option for your organisation?
In this blog, we’ll explore the different professional development routes for marketing professionals to help you decide the best route for your business.
WHY IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT IN MARKETING?
The marketing industry doesn’t stand still. Social media platforms are constantly evolving to include new features, data analysis is becoming more important as more brands go digital, and video marketing is now used widely across marketing teams. To keep up with the emergence of these new technologies and remain competitive – organisations need to invest in their team’s continuous professional development.
The number of vacancies advertised across the UK is at an all-time high which has led to a candidate-driven jobs market. Companies are now offering a number of benefits to retain their talent – and professional development is an effective way to make your marketing team feel valued and loyal to your business.
Read More: What are the Benefits of Training Existing Staff?
WHAT TRAINING OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR MARKETERS?
The level of training your team needs depends on factors such as experience, knowledge, and personal goals. Professional development options include everything from self-led online courses to work-based training programmes, such as a professional development apprenticeship.
When selecting a training option for someone in your marketing team, it is important to consider their prior qualifications, career aspirations, and your training budget.
Certifications for Marketers
When you hear the word ‘marketing’, there are a few organisations who spring to mind as thought leaders, such as Google, Hootsuite, and HubSpot – to name a few! These companies all offer online courses to sharpen up your team’s digital marketing skillset. These programmes are often free and come with a product certification once the learner completes the course.
These programmes can be effective for members of your team who can’t commit to a full-time programme but are looking to build their knowledge in specific areas of marketing such as SEO, Google Analytics, or building social media campaigns.
Marketing Apprenticeships
Many people believe that apprenticeships are reserved for school leavers only just starting out in their career. While apprenticeships are an excellent way to break into the marketing industry, Advanced Apprenticeships such as the Level 3 Digital Marketer programme offer a comprehensive professional development plan for existing marketing employees.
In the industry today, there are many successful marketers who happily admit that they fell into their specialism and learned on the job. For self-taught and junior marketers, a Level 3 apprenticeship can be an amazing way to boost their understanding of marketing theory, explore new tools and techniques, and formalise their knowledge through an industry-recognised qualification.
Our Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship and our Level 3 Content Creator apprenticeship are both up to 15 months, designed as a strategic training plan for those looking to broaden their understanding of digital marketing principles. Our courses combine work-based learning, online instructor-led training, and practical work projects to create a stimulating training programme with real business impact.
Our Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship lasts up to 18 months and equips marketers with a deeper understanding of marketing approaches and strategy. We teach people how to plan and execute tactical and targeted marketing activities that lead to conversions. This engaging course is designed around Apprenticeship Standards set by industry leaders and meets the requirements for registration as an Affiliate Member with the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A MARKETING APPRENTICESHIP?
There are many reasons why an apprenticeship could be the best option for your marketing team, but we’ve included our top 5:
1. Apprenticeships offer a ready-made training plan for marketing professionals
A Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship and a Level 3 Content Creator apprenticeship is a much more than a training course, these programmes offer a complete professional development programme with a built-in industry recognised qualification.
The apprenticeships can help transform members of your team into marketing experts, helping them build new skills and broaden their understanding of digital marketing tools and techniques – ultimately optimising your marketing strategy and campaigns.
2. Apprentices will receive an industry-recognised marketing qualification
The Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship follows the Apprenticeship Standard and covers the principles of online and offline marketing, the marketing mix, creating multi-channel marketing campaigns, principles of coding, mobile friendly web design and Google Analytics.
The Level 3 Content Creator apprenticeship follows the Apprenticeship Standard and covers the planning and creating of content strategies, short-form video content, search engine optimistaion, and effective email marketing.
3. Apprenticeships are a cost-effective training option for marketers
Investing in marketing training can be expensive, when studying with organisations such as The Charted Institute of Marketing, you can expect to pay an annual membership, tuition fees, and the cost of individual assessments.
Apprenticeships can be government-funded depending on the size of your business. For small and medium sized businesses, the government will contribute 95% of your apprenticeship training expenses, with employers topping up the last 5% as a co-investment payment.
For larger organisations who pay into the Apprenticeship Levy, the cost of apprenticeship training will be paid through monthly deductions from your ring-fenced apprenticeship levy funds.
4. Marketing Apprenticeships encourage continuous professional development
An apprenticeship is much more than a technical training course. On our marketing programmes, learners put theory into practice through several workplace projects, and can dedicate some of their off-the-job training hours towards additional professional development goals, such as self-study short courses, and industry certifications.
Throughout the programmes, learners will receive support and guidance from their Marketing Coach who will encourage them to achieve their goals.
A learner’s journey doesn’t have to stop upon completion of a Level 3 programme; apprenticeships advance to degree level and beyond – with the highest apprenticeship being equivalent to a post-graduate degree.
FIND OUT MORE & START YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY WITH BALTIC APPRENTICESHIPS
To learn more about our Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship our Level 3 Content Creator apprenticeship, or our Level 4 Marketing Executive apprenticeship – get in touch with our friendly team!