The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) held the Inauguration Ceremony of the Preliminary Certificate in Marketing at the SLIM Business School in Colombo. Suranjith Swaris, the President of SLIM, Roshan Fernando, the Vice President-Education of SLIM and Sanath Senanayake, the Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Director of SLIM graced the occasion along with other distinguished guests. 

The event also featured Dharshana Maldeniya, who boasts a wealth of experience in sales, operations and training at MBSL Insurance, as the guest speaker. The inauguration day was themed, “Start the Extraordinary Start to Success”, and it saw the participation of many young executives, school leavers and youngsters representing diverse fields. 

The Preliminary Certificate in Marketing (PCM) is a three-month programme, which is tailor-made to educate the participants on the fundamentals in marketing. Being the most recognised entry-level marketing qualification in the country, the programme enables students to gain in-depth knowledge on the subject and industry practices. Moreover, each module of the course contains theoretical concepts focusing on professional practices to enhance the knowledge of the students.  

Speaking at the occasion, Suranjith Swaris, the President of SLIM said, “The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing being the national body of marketing, offers the opportunity to study under a well-qualified resource panel with years of experience in various fields. SLIM PCM lays the foundation for higher studies in marketing as it is the ultimate entry-level marketing qualification for the next level Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing, which is the shortest route to a MBA. Also, PCM lays the foundation for beginners who enter the fascinating world of marketing, making it the ideal entry point”, he added. He also remarked that SLIM students are given the opportunity to become committee members in national level marketing events such as SLIM Brand Excellence, the Effie Awards, NASCO and SLIM training programmes. They can also join the SLIM’s Toastmasters Club, which is one of the leading of its kind in Sri Lanka. 

Dharshana Maldeniya enlightened the audience with valuable insights highlighting various aspects vital for young marketers. He also mentioned that SLIM PCM is the most preferred basic qualification in marketing amongst employers. He is currently the Senior Manager-Training of Sales and Operations at MBSL Insurance.  

Commenting on the programme, Roshan Fernando, the Vice President of SLIM said, “Since marketing has become an indispensable element of business growth, even non-marketers tend to join SLIM PCM to broaden their knowledge in key marketing practices. SLIM PCM has been designed to address the current requirements of our target audience, and thus imparts knowledge on novel marketing practises and trends. As marketing has become part and parcel of the modern corporate world, at least a basic understanding of its core principles adds immense value to one’s career growth.” 

Sanath Senanayake, the CEO/Executive Director of SLIM highlighted that SLIM PCM is the only qualification in Sri Lanka that paves the way to open up the shortest route to an MBA. Being the national body of marketing, SLIM bears the responsibility to educate Sri Lankans to progress in their marketing careers.

Many corporates employ SLIM PCM students and recognise it when employing individuals to their sales and marketing functions.

SLIM is the national body of marketing in Sri Lanka, and has been promoting marketing excellence and elevating the status of marketing since 1970. It is a member of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), the Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) and the Federation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL). Internationally it is affiliated with the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF) as the member of its board of Management. SLIM also has received the ISO 9001:2015 certification in recognition of its superior quality management system and the ISO 29990:2010 for Learning Service Provider (LSP), providing non-formal education and training services. SLIM organises national level events and forums such as Ignite 2020, NASCO, SLIM Brand Excellence, SLIM Nielsen Peoples Awards, SLIM Digis, Effie Awards and Gamata Marketing.