Self-test: Is the "Marketing and Sales Officer with Edupool Certificate" course the right one for me?

What does the day-to-day work of a Marketing and Sales Clerk look like?

Marketing and sales clerks carry out a wide range of activities in marketing agencies, communications agencies, advertising agencies or marketing departments of companies. They have basic knowledge of marketing, create concepts in collaboration with marketing specialists or marketing managers and implement them.

They are involved in the planning and implementation of a wide range of sales promotion, marketing, advertising and PR measures and are often responsible for maintaining the homepage/website and social media presence. A large part of the tasks of marketing clerks are administrative and planning activities, the organization of meetings, the provision of all important documents, correspondence and coordination of appointments, the creation and revision of presentations, the planning and implementation of trade fairs, events and functions as well as the preparation of statistics and their evaluation. They often work closely with the sales department and external partners and are the point of contact for a wide range of issues.

Please note: The weighting/frequency/distribution of the individual areas of responsibility may vary depending on the company, function and job profile.

Target group and skills: Who is the further training course for marketing and sales clerks suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The training/continuing education program for marketing and sales clerks with edupool certificate is aimed at the following target groups:

• People who would like to take on marketing assistance tasks in sales and marketing
• Assistants to marketing managers, sales managers, product managers etc. who wish to deepen their knowledge
• Graduates of basic vocational training who are looking for a qualification to enter this professional field
• Newcomers, career changers and those returning to the profession
• Persons who wish to take the professional examination for marketing specialists, sales specialists, copywriters, communication planners or PR specialists with a federal certificate.

Marketing and Sales Clerks should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Organizational skills
• Ability to work in a team
• Load capacity
• Communication skills
• Flexibility
• Service and customer orientation

Prerequisites for admission to the Marketing and Sales Administrator course:

In order to start training as a marketing and sales administrator with an edupool certificate, you must generally meet the following requirements when you start the course:

• Good written and spoken German (level C1)
• Previous commercial knowledge
• At least two years of general professional experience (the apprenticeship period is taken into account)
• In addition, for admission to the final examination: regular class attendance of at least 80%.

Recommendation:

• Commercial school diploma edupool.ch or completion of basic commercial vocational training (EFZ) or equivalent qualification.
• First practical experience in marketing and sales

Note: At some schools, it is also possible to attend the course without the intention of taking the edupool diploma exam (the admission requirements in this case are determined individually by the schools and can vary from provider to provider). Nevertheless, you will not be left empty-handed - in this case you will usually receive a so-called "school certificate".

Subject matter and content of the training

Schools that offer the certificate course for marketing and sales clerks as preparation for the (external) edupool certificate examination focus on the subjects and learning content of the sponsoring body, which are also set out in the official course description. These are the following subjects:

• Marketing(Basics, market research, content and structure of a marketing concept, marketing mix and marketing infrastructure)
• Product and pricing(cost accounting and calculation, product and pricing)
• Marketing communication and corporate communication(Fundamentals, advertising, direct marketing, PR and sponsoring, event management, sales promotion, online marketing and mobile marketing)
• Sales and distribution(basics, primary and secondary sales planning, sales pitch, negotiation techniques, trade fair marketing, distribution)
• Project and self-management(project management, communication techniques, presentation techniques, self-management, methodological skills)

Costs and financing of further training

The costs vary depending on the school and the program. In general, the following costs must be expected for the 1- to 2-semester, part-time marketing administrator course:

• Course fees: Between CHF 3'500.- and CHF 5'000.-
  Note: Members of the commercial association can benefit from a discount of up to 10%: https://www.kfmv.ch/community/mitgliedschaft
• Fee edupool diploma (external examination): The examination fee is charged directly by edupool.ch and currently amounts to CHF 650 (as of March 2023)
• Some providers charge extra for:
  • Enrollment
  • Teaching aids
  • Training documents
  • Internal examinations and examination training
  • Simulation test

It is best to contact the provider of your choice directly regarding the possible extra costs.

* Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations have been financially supported by the federal government. Depending on this, the edupool marketing clerk course is accepted as a preparatory course for the professional examination. This means that if, after completing the edupool certificate, you go on to obtain the federal certificate for marketing specialists, for example, within seven years and have not yet received any cantonal contributions for your further training as a marketing administrator, 50% of the course costs paid (max. CHF 9,500) will be reimbursed by the federal government.Herefind out more.

Duration of study, training options, number of lessons and learning effort

• The Marketing and Sales Specialist edupool course is modular in structure, designed to be taken part-time and lasts 1 to 2 semesters (depending on the provider and course offered).
• The edupool marketing clerk course comprises between 160 and 170 lessons. A detailed breakdown of the lessons into the respective learning fields can be found in the Edupool course description.
• Two different time models are offered:
  • 1 semester with two teaching blocks of four lessons each (e.g. two evenings a week)
  • 2 semesters with a teaching block of four lessons (e.g. one evening a week)
  • Depending on the school, intensive courses are also offered.
• Many schools offer a mix of face-to-face and online courses (online, hybrid teaching, blended learning) as well as self-study. You can therefore choose the format that allows you to combine further education with your family, career and free time in the best possible way.
• Thanks to the in-service training concept, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for preparation and follow-up of the lessons and for self-study - how much depends on your prior knowledge, working style and learning speed. We recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week as a precaution.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons". This gives you the opportunity to gain an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. Important aspects on the way to a successful graduation. It is best to contact the school of your choice directly for a taster lesson.

Degree, diploma and title

Towards the end of the "Marketing and Sales Specialist edupool" course, many schools hold internal (simulation) examinations. This promises optimal preparation for the edupool final examination. After successfully completing the internal exam, you will receive a so-called "school certificate".

The (external) diploma examination for the edupool diploma takes place in so-called competence centers, i.e. examination centers of edupool.ch. The examination is conducted here and corrected by edupool.

Note: If the school of your choice is one of the edupool-accredited schools, the edupool examination usually takes place there on site.

Diploma and title

Successful graduates receive the edupool.ch diploma recognized throughout Switzerland and co-signed by the Swiss Commercial Association: "Marketing and Sales Specialist edupool.ch"

What is edupool.ch?

Edupool is the quality label of the commercial association, which has been in existence since 2001. The key players behind it are the commercial association and the partner schools accredited by the association. Edupool also works closely with well-known industry and professional associations, which also sign the Edupool certificates. This ensures the topicality and practical relevance of the learning content taught and guarantees the high quality and credibility of Edupool certificates.

The final examinations for the Edupool certificates are organized centrally by Edupool and corrected according to uniform guidelines.