Ladies' College joins CIM Sri Lanka Region

To offer students Marketing Education :

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region launched the CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing program at Ladies' College Colombo and classes for the first batch of students commenced on May 4.

Among those who addressed the students who enrolled on the program were Ladies' College Principal Nirmali Wickremesinghe, Vocational Studies Department Directress Mala Salgado and Education of CIM Sri Lanka Region Dayan D.L. Fernando, CIM Sri Lanka Region Operations Head Priyanthi Seneviratne and Education Services Manager Ranmal Ekanayake were also present.

CIM Sri Lanka Region launched the CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing program in 2009 with a view to providing a fast track to the CIM qualification where the students can start their journey with CIM with Ordinary Level qualifications.

The Introductory Certificate in Marketing consists of two modules, i.e. 'Understanding customer relations' and 'What is marketing?' where the students will be inducted the principles of marketing.

The program is also targeted at non-marketeers who wish to familiarize themselves with marketing which is becoming essential in the current business context.

Even though marketing as a profession has come a long way in Sri Lanka, the weight given for marketing education in school syllabi is not adequate and it is a very few who are aware that marketing is a professional career in itself, like careers in other disciplines such as medicine, engineering, accounting etc. The Institute has placed greater importance in promoting this qualification in schools, thereby catering to this long standing vacuum in the school curricular.

The program also provides an opportunity for students who drop out from school after Ordinary Levels, to pursue a career with an internationally acclaimed marketing qualification.

Ladies' College is the first school in the Colombo District to have joined CIM Sri Lanka Region to offer the CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing to their students; and The Institute takes pleasure in recognizing the enthusiasm shown and the support extended by Ladies' College Principal Nirmali Wickremesinghe which was instrumental in providing this opportunity to the students of the College. In order to give a more practical insight into marketing and increase awareness of marketing as a career choice, The Institute is also planning to launch a marketing club at Ladies' College in the near future.

CIM Marketing Clubs have also been formed at several schools in Kandy - i.e. Hillwood College, Trinity College, Madina Central College, St. Anthony's College, St. Anthony's Convent and at Maliyadeva College in Kurunegala.