Wilson obtains rights to Irish digital marketing course
Published:Tuesday | October 3, 2017 | 12:00 AMNeville Graham
Tyrone Wilson's eMedia Interactive Group Limited has struck a new partnership with an Irish outfit to deliver a digital marketing course in the Caribbean through iCreate Institute.
The agreement with Digital Marketing Institute offers qualifications as a certified digital marketer.
"There is a real deficit of certified persons in this area in Jamaica. These persons need to be familiar with the jargon and the processes especially with the way things are changing very fast. With the proliferation of platforms such as Google, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram, there aren't many people who understand how to navigate their way and connect with audiences in the way that brands need to," said Wilson, who is also the head of iCreate.
"It's quite a representation of the way the world is headed this has been going on for some time now," he said of shift towards digital marketing. "What we're seeing is that a lot of companies are shifting and diversifying their marketing spends to include digital media. Sure we still have the traditional platforms such as print, TV and radio, but people are realising more and more that digital is the way to go," he said.
The iCreate course is accredited by the European Qualifications Network, Under the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. Companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Microsoft sit on the accreditation board. Wilson has not sought accreditation from the University Council of Jamaica.
"This programme is not governed by the University Council because it is an overseas programme," he said.
Contacted for comment, the University Council described the iCreate Institute course as a type of transnational education programme, or TNE, "offered through different arrangements such as branch campuses, franchising, offshore institutions and distance education".
Local accreditation is voluntary, the council said, but notes that it encourages the deliverers of TNE content to treat UCJ as a quality assurance agency to assess the quality of their programmes.
LOCALS CONDUCT TRAINING
"The UCJ, as an external quality assurance agency develops, communicates, and use a set of standards for TNE to ensure that quality is preserved and also that programmes offered by TNE are viewed as comparable to those in institutions where instruction is offered in the country of origin," the council said.
The first batch of digital marketing students began taking the three-month course in June. The course, which costs US$1,499, is delivered by local trainers, according to Wilson.
"We have certified trainers here that would have gone through our train the trainers programme. It is, therefore, local people in the field who are experienced and are a part of the industry already," he said.
Asked about the validity of the content, Wilson said the course aligns with others offering similar training.
"How the programme is structured is the same way one would have done an online MBA from one of the reputable Universities. Those places would have already secured their accreditation," Wilson said.
He is also finalising plans to launch the digital marketing course in Florida, which will be delivered online to that market.