Marketing skills: Critical issues in marketing education and training

A central issue marketing educators and trainers need to address concerns the appropriateness of their courses and whether they develop the skills that prospective employers value. This paper reports on an attempt to document those skills and to examine the extent to which they are unique to the field of marketing. Four strands of research are reported on: a literature search based on the Social Science Citation Index; a review of advertisements for marketing personnel; a content analysis of a publication containing commentaries from graduates on their experiences in marketing posts; and a survey of employers.

In carrying out this research, it became clear that there was a dearth of well articulated and considered thought on the issue of marketing skills. Behind a rhetoric that depicts employers as knowing and discriminating, the emergent reality was of a group which had no clear idea of the particular skills which they needed in marketing personnel. Perhaps even more worrying is the extent to which employers cannot distinguish between the performance of marketing and non‐marketing trained entrants to their companies either at the stage of recruitment or when they are in post.

Academics and employers are involved in an exchange but the success of that exchange is in some doubt. In conclusion we seek a more active dialogue between the two parties to ensure improvement in the relationship which can only lead to more efficient and effective education and training.