Certificate in Marketing:

Gateway to a prosperous future

by Sajitha PREMATUNGE

'Of the things that arise knowledge is the greatest' is the motto of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura. However less than five percent of the students who sit for Advanced Level examination get through to university.

The question arises, what happens to the rest. It is clear that the government cannot provide jobs for each and every one of these people. Consequently brain drain has become a major problem for Sri Lanka.

"We at the Department of Marketing Management believe that everyone in society has the right to higher education", said Dr. B.N.F Warnakulasuriya, Head of Marketing Management Department. It was with this intention that the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Jayawardenapura commenced their diploma in marketing Management, now in its fifth intake. "It does not stop at this, students can move on to Advanced Diploma in Marketing, Post Graduate Diploma, which is a qualification for MBA. Students who follow this diploma can go all the way up to PHD if they so please." Education for these students does not only involve theory but extra curricular activities such as outbound training.

Former Vice Chancellor, University of Jayawardenapura, Prof. Narada Warnakulasuriya claimed that the world of Marketing is full of glitz and pomp "but this is justifiable if you present something of value to the consumer."

And it seems that the students of Marketing Management also has the full backing of the current Vice Chancellor, N.L.A. Karunaratne, University of Jayawardenapura. Two canteens - in the vicinity of the university - are run by final year marketing students today, with the guidance of the Vice Chancellor. Mahanama Dodampegama, Director A. Baurs & Co. Ltd, reminiscing about his humble beginnings said that this is a golden opportunity to those who were unable to acquire a university education, and emphasized that no matter how much theory one learns it is of little use if one does not integrate personality into his or her learning. "Each of us carries residual knowledge or knowledge borrowed from someone else. But marketing is different."

He explained that marketing should be an environment where personality and acquired knowledge blend. He explained that although he was experienced he was not qualified until recently. "It was easy for me to comprehend in theory what I learned in the practical scenario." Consequently following this diploma will be a cake walk for people who have already acquired on the job training.