Audit experts also need to be optimally prepared for an audit (Part 1)
New standards have been established for the preparation of examiners for the oral exam of the professional certification for marketing specialists with a federal certificate.
From April 14 to 17, 2009, the oral examinations for marketing specialists with a federal certificate (formerly marketing planner) will be held for the first time according to new examination regulations at the cantonal school in Reussbühl LU. These have been revised as part of the examination reform and expanded to include new examination subjects. One of these new subjects is presentation and communication techniques. New standards were set in the preparation of the examination experts for the oral examination.
First of all, Peter Gilli, the board member responsible for this new examination subject, had to recruit a distinguished team of experts from over 70 proven specialists. The requirements for an examination expert according to Peter Gilli: "All experts have successfully qualified at corresponding federal examinations and deal with presentation and communication techniques in their daily practice. Thus, they can draw from well-founded theory and practical experience. So there are no exam experts who only have learned knowledge, but in principle practical experience must always be proven." The vast majority of the audit experts recruited by Peter Gilli are also active in management positions or as company owners.
Because this is a federal professional examination, which is conducted under the supervision of the OPET (Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology), the quality of the examination must be guaranteed from the very beginning, even in subjects that have not been examined before, in accordance with the examination regulations approved by OPET. Peter Gilli: "In order to meet this high standard, not only the examination candidates but also the examination experts must therefore prepare intensively for the upcoming examination in April 2009." For this reason, it was decided that all experts would attend not one but two mandatory training days, as is usually the case. Says Peter Gilli: "The exam must be performed perfectly in terms of quality and quantity right from the start."
Thus, at the end of November, all examination experts from all over Switzerland met in a training center in Olten. Information was provided on the new examination regulations, what is expected of the experts and how the examination proceeds in detail. For this training, Peter Gilli, who brings great know-how as a federal examination expert and rich practical experience as the owner of a company for marketing services, was the right professional. He is a certificate and diploma holder and therefore knows from his own experience exactly what is important in the exam.
Markus Steinmann, for example, confirms this: "Although I have been working as an expert on federal diploma examinations for almost ten years, this further training was something very special. The methodology and the specialist knowledge of the experts were sustainably consolidated at a high level."
All those present were given a detailed manual, which from now on is part of the standard equipment of an examination expert and must be worked through as a guide before every examination. In addition, the obligatory further training will be carried out before each examination. Experts who do not participate in this training will not be called up for examinations.
"From practice for practice" was then the motto of the program, as Patrick Rohr, known as a former TV presenter of the "Arena", reported to the examination experts from his daily practice in his open, spontaneous manner in a very professional and credible manner. Thus, the participants were additionally brought up to date by a proven communications professional.
Audit expert Nicole Walter commented: "The expectations of Patrick Rohr were enormously high, as all the listeners are already experienced communicators. Nevertheless, he succeeded in giving us pragmatic and highly valuable tips along the way."
The second part of the seminar for the examination experts will take place in March 2009, i.e. shortly before the oral examination, in order to further optimize what has been learned in the context of a mock examination and thus provide the finishing touches for a perfectly conducted examination. We will report on this in our Swiss Marketing double-page spread, which will appear in Werbewoche on April 17, 2009.
First of all, Peter Gilli, the board member responsible for this new examination subject, had to recruit a distinguished team of experts from over 70 proven specialists. The requirements for an examination expert according to Peter Gilli: "All experts have successfully qualified at corresponding federal examinations and deal with presentation and communication techniques in their daily practice. Thus, they can draw from well-founded theory and practical experience. So there are no exam experts who only have learned knowledge, but in principle practical experience must always be proven." The vast majority of the audit experts recruited by Peter Gilli are also active in management positions or as company owners.
Because this is a federal professional examination, which is conducted under the supervision of the OPET (Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology), the quality of the examination must be guaranteed from the very beginning, even in subjects that have not been examined before, in accordance with the examination regulations approved by OPET. Peter Gilli: "In order to meet this high standard, not only the examination candidates but also the examination experts must therefore prepare intensively for the upcoming examination in April 2009." For this reason, it was decided that all experts would attend not one but two mandatory training days, as is usually the case. Says Peter Gilli: "The exam must be performed perfectly in terms of quality and quantity right from the start."
Thus, at the end of November, all examination experts from all over Switzerland met in a training center in Olten. Information was provided on the new examination regulations, what is expected of the experts and how the examination proceeds in detail. For this training, Peter Gilli, who brings great know-how as a federal examination expert and rich practical experience as the owner of a company for marketing services, was the right professional. He is a certificate and diploma holder and therefore knows from his own experience exactly what is important in the exam.
Markus Steinmann, for example, confirms this: "Although I have been working as an expert on federal diploma examinations for almost ten years, this further training was something very special. The methodology and the specialist knowledge of the experts were sustainably consolidated at a high level."
All those present were given a detailed manual, which from now on is part of the standard equipment of an examination expert and must be worked through as a guide before every examination. In addition, the obligatory further training will be carried out before each examination. Experts who do not participate in this training will not be called up for examinations.
"From practice for practice" was then the motto of the program, as Patrick Rohr, known as a former TV presenter of the "Arena", reported to the examination experts from his daily practice in his open, spontaneous manner in a very professional and credible manner. Thus, the participants were additionally brought up to date by a proven communications professional.
Audit expert Nicole Walter commented: "The expectations of Patrick Rohr were enormously high, as all the listeners are already experienced communicators. Nevertheless, he succeeded in giving us pragmatic and highly valuable tips along the way."
The second part of the seminar for the examination experts will take place in March 2009, i.e. shortly before the oral examination, in order to further optimize what has been learned in the context of a mock examination and thus provide the finishing touches for a perfectly conducted examination. We will report on this in our Swiss Marketing double-page spread, which will appear in Werbewoche on April 17, 2009.
Report and photos: Patrick Bernd Buchert
www.swissmarketing.ch, Editorial: [email protected].
(from left): Peter Gilli (Board of Directors), speaker Patrick Rohr, Claude Dubois (Head of Marketing Examinations and Head of Professional Examinations at Swiss Marketing).
Markus Steinmann and Nicole Walter.
