Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) held its Certification Ceremony recently to recognize and award students who have successfully completed the SLIM programmes; Preliminary Certificate in Marketing (PCM), Certificate in Pharmaceutical Marketing (Pharma) and Certificate in Digital Marketing (CDM).
Students of PCM 2016 – Batch III and IV, PCM 2017 – Batch I and II, Pharma 2016 – Batch I and II and CDM – Batch I were conferred with medals and certificates, numbering to over a thousand certificate holders.
The Preliminary Certificate in Marketing (PCM) is one of the best short courses in marketing, conducted in the country which leads to a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (PGDIP). The Certificate in Pharmaceutical Marketing is a qualification to excel as a medical delegate whereas the Certificate in Digital Marketing (CDM) is an innovative program designed to discover the revolutionary aspects of Marketing.
The best Student, first runner up and second runner up of each batch were conferred with a certificate and a medal while the subject winners of the Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing were awarded with medals.
The awards for the Best Students were won by the following;
- PCM (111) 2016 – J W T M Wijewardena
- PCM (1V) 2106 – T R A J Fernando
- PCM (1) 2017 – K A I Dhananjani
- PCM (11) 2017 – M D M S N Dissanayake
- Pharma (1) 2016 – M W Somathilaka
- Pharma (11) 2016 – B S R Seneviratne
- CDM (1) 2017 – U D S M U Anjana Madushanka
The Chief Guest of the event Gamika de Silva, Head of Marketing and Sales of Seylan Bank PLC and former president of SLIM in his address noted that the school education curricular should pay more attention to professional facets in education.
“The Certification in Marketing is your stepping stone towards the new world. Among the students who are passing out today, there will be excellent Marketing strategists, Brand Marketers, PR heads, Event Managers, Research specialists, Sales experts, and Digital catalysts. Our school education system is such that many are confined to the streams of Engineering, Medicine or Accountancy. The Sri Lankan society needs many more professional disciplines”, he opined.
Deputy Chairman/CEO of Derana Laksiri Wickramage who was the Guest of Honour, said, “Receiving your SLIM certification is a badge of honour. It is a symbol and reflection of your quality and the immense potential brewing inside you waiting to be unleashed. Hence this will be a launch platform which permeates you with all the knowledge necessary for you to excel in your career as well as your personal life.”
SLIM President, Karthik Elangovan mentioned, “Apart from paving the way for professionals to create an edge among their peers and bringing in numbers, the subject of Marketing makes emphasis on grooming high calibre individuals who prosper in their personal lives as well as those who are socially responsible. SLIM has been engaging in this challenging endeavour of grooming such a breed of marketers who are torch bearers in the Sri Lankan marketing fraternity and who set trends for others to follow.”
SLIM Vice President – Education, Pradeep Edward said, “SLIM has made emphasis on identifying new trends in Marketing and delivering programmes accordingly to add more value to the Sri Lankan marketing fraternity and beyond. The newest programme in our product portfolio, the Certificate in Digital Marketing (CDM), launched in 2017, is testament to this”.
He added, “The corporate sector has kept high confidence on SLIM programmes and they constantly communicate with us to have ‘Tailor-made’ courses for their benefit. SLIM has been engaging in this endeavour from the inception and we will further strengthen this process.”
SLIM CEO/Executive Director, Sanath Senanayake said that SLIM has reached the zenith as a mentoring entity with endorsements from the Sri Lankan marketing fraternity that includes the corporate sector.
“For 47 years, SLIM has endeavoured to fulfil its vision of leading the nation towards prosperity by positioning Marketing as a key driver of the economic growth. Being the oldest study centre in Sri Lanka for the CIM-UK qualification has conferred strong reputation on SLIM. We produce approximately 2000 professionals per annum”, he said.
Constantly evolving with innovations to add value to the Sri Lankan marketing fraternity has been SLIM’s key to success as the national body for Marketing.