Airline marketing certificate to be offered in India, Maldives next
View(s):The advanced certificate in airline marketing, which was recently launched locally, will next be made available in Trivandrum, in India, Male, in the Maldives, as well as even other urban centres across Sri Lanka, according to Buddhika Hewawasam, Manager of SriLankan Airlines’ International Aviation Academy, the main facilitator of this programme.
Further, the local carrier is conducting this six month programme in conjunction with the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM). The institute will provide lecturers and accreditation, as well as other resources, for this course, which will likely enroll 40 participants for its inaugural session, stated Mr. Hewawasam.
Speaking at the launch of this course, Mr. Hewawasam also revealed that, over the last 12 months, SriLankan Airlines International Aviation Academy had trained over 500 front-liners for an IATA diploma. This was in addition to upgrading the skills of 100 existing personnel already working in the field.
At the same time, SriLankan Airlines Human Resources Head Pradeepa Kekulawala added that, up to a year ago, his airline had solely focused on internal training, while others trained local industry professionals, often with inadequate skills. However, about a year ago, this changed. Since then, the national carrier has managed to capture a large pool of talent locally and this had even spilled over into local sectors.
Elaborating on this development, SriLankan Airlines Chief Marketing Officer G.T. Jayaseelan commented that, since the future of the aviation industry will depend more on knowledge than even engineering, the way forward for the industry is human skills development. He also revealed that, in the past, airline marketing was primarily carried out via on-the-job training. However, as of today, his airline had recruited more graduates over the past year, than over the last 30.
Meanwhile, according to course literature, the advanced certificate in airline marketing was targetting “staff attached to travel agencies and tour operators, front line and sales and marketing staff who are involved in the aviation field.” Further, participants are required to have at least two years of industry experience and GCE Ordinary Level passes, or five years of sales or marketing experience at an executive capacity.
Also noted, those completing the course with the relevant qualifications could enter into programmes including the National Diploma in Sales Management, Diploma in Brand Management and the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, all of which were offered by SLIM. In addition, those who successfully completed the relevant diplomas could enroll in the Buckinghamshire New University UK MBA program, which was also offered by SLIM.
(JH)
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