Last week on the 6th of July, the Uganda Marketers Society announced its partnership with Makerere Business School.
Related: 5 Key Takeaways From The Makerere University Business School Entrepreneurship Mentorship Workshop.
With this new founded partnership, Uganda Marketers Society (UMS) is to support the promotion of professional skills development and marketing standards and practices at Makerere University Business School (MUBS).
The institution which is an affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM – UK), is the leading organization for marketing professionals in Uganda and is responsible for professional skills development and promotion of professional marketing standards. This partnership comes as a solution to the challenges young marketers face when it comes to searching for jobs, lack of not guidance, and inadequacy of skills at the various stages of development.
At an event witnessed by students, and leadership from the Marketers Association of MUBS, these challenges came under the spotlight at the launch event; as organized by the Faculty of Marketing and International Business.
Through the two-year partnership, UMS will provide learning and networking opportunities to marketing students and lecturers through; Guest tutors (CIM Qualified) for marketing classes, Joint lectures relating to the marketing profession for students and lecturers, Hosting CIM and UMS events at MUBS, Access to UMS events and conferences, Membership of MUBS marketing department staff on the UMS committees and Joint marketing-related events and conferences. In addition, UMS will support MUBS towards becoming a CIM accredited study center.
Dr. Ben Mugerwa, the Head of Professional Studies at Uganda Management Institute while delivering his keynote speech on professionalism and professional bodies emphasized the need to develop professionals as a pathway for young people to take up marketing roles in the region and grow in leadership. He noted an example of the banking sector in Uganda where KCB and Centenary Bank are now full of Ugandans in marketing roles which previously wasn’t the case.
“We are seeing the rise of Influencer marketing and use of technology and innovation in the 4th industrial revolution a case in point is the recently concluded Dubai Expo 2021 where we saw countries exhibit their countries using Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Marketing students must be agile and nibble, and have the ability to learn, be conscious of what’s going on, and develop interpersonal skills and digital capabilities.”, he concluded.
In a few words, David Balikuddembe the Uganda Marketers Society President discussed the aspect of Continuous Professional Development (CPD); a unique program by CIM which helps students achieve the understanding and expertise that are expected of today’s marketing professionals. As a student, you can opt-in at any point from the time you become a member and continue for as long as your membership remains current.
“As a Member or Fellow, you will submit reflective statements detailing the activities and experiences such as attending exhibitions, mentorships attending seminars or presentations that have impacted your development throughout the year to accumulate a total value of 35 credits during each CPD year in order to complete a submission of your activity to CIM to be assessed and awarded a certificate. As we continue to see an increase in the uptake of marketing courses at the university in recent years, the need for professional marketers with good conduct and standards is vital to ensure the sustainable use of resources to develop Uganda and East African Community both now and the future.”, concluded the UMS President.
The event concluded with students pausing questions to the guests and later cutting a cake to celebrate the new collaboration.
About Uganda Marketers Society
The Uganda Marketers Society is the leading body and voice of marketing professionals in Uganda. It is responsible for professional skills development, promotion of professional marketing standards and practices (Individual, Corporate, and SMEs membership categories), and finally market research and consultancy. For more information about UMS, please visit www.ums.co.ug Follow Uganda Marketers Society on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About Makerere Business School
Makerere University Business School is the leading provider of Business and Management education that facilitates professional development, and promotes Entrepreneurship and Leadership in the region.
