‘ADD VALUE TO ANY BUSINESS’
Learn the key skills of digital marketing
When it comes to how important the area of digital engagement strategy is to today’s marketing world, Marlene Harb doesn’t mince words. “Without digital marketing skills and knowledge, the traditional marketer will soon be considered obsolete,” she says.
Harb, whose own digital marketing career begun more than 10 years ago, is the digital marketing manager for the Kraft Heinz Company and serves as a member of the program advisory committee for Centennial College’s new marketing digital engagement strategy program. Along with professionals from corporations such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google, Harb offers ongoing advice, guidance and industry perspective to the program, which addresses the gap in marketing professionals who have a holistic view and understanding of digital engagement.
“The program has 360-degree coverage of everything that has to do with digital marketing,” says Harb of the graduate certificate offering, which launches in September out of the college’s Eglinton Learning Site location. “I’m confident learners will go into the workforce empowered and able to add value to any business.
“It is high time the education system identified the need for this type of program and Centennial College seems to be a pioneer in identifying such needs and bridging certain skill gaps in the business world.”
Geared towards those with a university degree or advanced diploma in a business-related discipline, the program will also consider applicants who have a two-year college diploma or partial university degree completion with a minimum of two years work experience relevant to the program.
Chadi Kandil is the coordinator for the marketing digital engagement strategy program. He says that despite these requirements, acceptance may also be granted to non-traditional applicants.
“Given how skilled and curious people are these days, we have stumbled across some really interesting applicant profiles and what we are considering is offering certain applicants conditional acceptance,” he explains.
“I think everyone would benefit from this program. If you are a marketer and you want to enhance your digital knowledge, it allows you to be relevant in the workforce and move up in your career. If you have finished a marketing degree and you want to kick off your career, it gives you an edge.”
Over the course of two semesters, students will learn to analyze trends in technology, derive insights from data, design content management strategies and execute plans across paid, owned and earned media. Learners will also gain know-how in developing and evaluating digital marketing strategies to maximize customer engagement and create meaningful interactions in support of business growth.
Kandil says each course in the program, which is facilitated through a blended delivery format, will be an immersive and experiential learning experience that improves learners’ leadership, entrepreneurial, organizational, project management and teamwork skills, while effectively applying learning in a real-world environment. It is something that stood out to Harb when she reviewed the final curriculum.
“The program is extremely practical, focused and predicative of the needs of the future,” she says. “Not only will Centennial grads be able to translate clicks to business and help clients understand what a “like” can do for them but they will also be able to lead and manage projects. These are skills my generation spent years trying to acquire.”
Taking the experiential learning model a step further, the program includes an opportunity for learners to complete an additional semester as a co-op student in a real world setting. Centennial’s School of Business will work with industry, says Kandil, to identify potential co-op opportunities and ensure that students are paired with a company the aligns with their future goals.
“Attending co-op is, of course, an opportunity for students to take everything they have learned and implement it in the real world,” he says. “It may also help to open doors to potential employment in roles such as marketing manager, digital media planner and web analytics specialist.”
In addition to receiving a graduate certificate, students will also graduate with important industry certifications. While these certifications, which are designed to help businesses make the most of various online mediums, are available online to anyone, Centennial has weaved the knowledge students need to earn them right into the program. As a result, as part of the course work, students are eligible to receive valuable industry certifications such as Google AdWords, Google Analytics and Facebook Blueprint.
The core skills students develop, meanwhile, may be converted into personal development unit credits towards an Online Marketing Certified Professional designation — another well recognized industry title.
“Both advertisers and digital media agencies are in need of people with these certifications,” says Harb. “The absence of them is slowing us down and causes companies time and money when they have to get employees up to speed. It is an added value for grads of Centennial’s program and will surely enable them to launch their careers faster.”