Clear Marketing

The few good practice documents, which include marketing, look at both marketing to the company and then promoting the learning opportunities within the company to the workforce. In both cases, marketing materials and activities use clear language and design aiming for engagement and recognition. In marketing to the employer, materials and presentations clearly communicate the provider’s approach to adult education as well as achievable goals and benefits to individuals and organizations. Bradley and others (2000) recommend that marketers “identify the link between training outcomes and financial benefits to industry.” But, in an interview, one educator warned, “make sure you can do what you say you will.” Within a company, participants in the national think tank agreed that “wherever possible, involve peers for marketing, recruitment and counseling in a company and union. It is important to create a spirit of trust, respect and mutual cooperation” (McLeod, 1995, p. 21). Peers are most easily brought into the process through a workplace committee that is visible and active in all aspects of the program.

Consider…

Financial benefits are often thought to be the most attractive element in marketing education and training. In the Bradley quote mentioned above, workplace education (language, literacy and numeracy) is part of larger industry ‘training packages’ in Australia and perhaps can claim some role in the ultimate financial gains to a company. In Ontario, how far can we go in marketing to the bottom line? Increases in productivity, reductions in errors and absenteeism? Are these our best hooks for marketing language and literacies? Can we attribute gains in productivity to a basic skills program?

Studies from the Conference Board of Canada and other research organizations try to make the link between education and financial gain. These studies deserve our attention with a critical eye. How was the data gathered, tabulated and analysed? Does this approach support our case or get us into a difficult spot when we set goals for programs and evaluate the outcomes. Are we ready to prove that productivity has increased? If so, how? Or that absenteeism and errors have been reduced thanks to basic skills programs? If so, how? Certainly, these financial gains can be an impact of the program in some cases. What other factors would probably be part of the accounting process? Has the company measured the success of its other training programs on this basis? If so, how? What were the results?