Professionals who hold the Preliminary Certificate in Marketing (PCM) from the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) have seen accelerated growth in their careers, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s best short courses in marketing.

A shining example of the recognition and importance attached to this qualification emerged recently from Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd, the local office of the world’s largest exporter of dairy products. ‎The company’s Sales Capability Manager Stephen Paulraj narrated the incident and spoke about the edge certain PCM holders enjoyed over their peers when being considered for managerial positions in international markets.

“A few years ago, we, at Fonterra Brands Lanka, were on the lookout for a programme to develop our human resources. Our first choice was the PCM offered by SLIM and we enrolled nearly our entire sales force of about 150 employees in order to enhance their academic and professional knowledge. Recently, we began selecting employees to manage our markets in Africa in the capacity of field supervisors, regional managers and sales managers. We handpicked our top performers and the main considerations were their contributions to the company, future potential and the SLIM PCM qualification. We attached such importance to PCM because it imparts practical knowledge while providing an international perspective on sales and marketing, which are crucial for success in foreign markets.”

More than 25 years since its launch, SLIM PCM continues to be the top entry level qualification for marketing in Sri Lanka. It has been endorsed by leading corporates and many professionals have used PCM as a stepping stone to build impressive careers in marketing and other fields.

Minoli Palihena is a PCM holder who has directly benefitted by virtue of being a PCM holder.

“I was one of 1000 candidates who were interviewed for a job at a leading bank in Colombo recently. There were many qualified candidates in that group of 1000 but ultimately I was fortunate enough to secure the job. I was told that being a PCM holder was seen as a definite advantage by the panel of interviewers, as it is a highly recognised qualification in the corporate sector,” she said.

In addition to being an entry qualification for Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (Sri Lanka), SLIM PCM is also the first step towards obtaining an internationally recognized professional status in marketing conferred by the prestigious Asia Marketing Federation (AMF).

SLIM, as the national body for marketing, launched PCM in 1988 to provide beginners a fundamental understanding of marketing in preparation for their advanced learning. Today, the programme has undergone many revisions in order to meet the ever growing challenges of the industry and is ideally suited to students who are interested in gaining basic knowledge in marketing. Thus, it is highly beneficial to individuals pursuing careers in a variety of fields, especially since marketing is such an essential aspect of entrepreneurship and business growth.