PPB September 2018

FEATURE | 2018 Higher Education Study faculty, future buyers and future peers in the promotional products industry. To a certain extent, professors are open to this concept by “pointing out to students that they are carrying around insulated coffee cups with the school’s logo on it and making notes using a ballpoint with some company’s promotional message on it,” said a part-time adjunct professor. However, there is a greater need to link these products to the multifaceted $23.3 billion promotional products industry behind them. Transparency between the classroom and labor markets has become increasingly important because of the growing diversity among undergraduate programs of study, credentials and modes of delivery that are aligned with an increasingly complex set of career pathways. For centuries, experiential learning has proven to effectively bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world, but without awareness of opportunity, perception is stale. In 1979, authors Wilke English and Dale Lewison stated in a Journal of Marketing Education article that despite the substantial “benefits that accrue to students, professors and the business community,” internships are often overlooked by many industries and thus highly underutilized. Students who responded to the study, however, placed an emphasis on internships, with 94 percent revealing that the experiences gained are the best preparation for a professional career. Internships were also cited as the top place students expected to learn about the different job opportunities in the marketing field (84 percent). As a full-time professor reiterated, “The best way to introduce undergraduate students to the career is to have paid summer internships available to them so they can gain firsthand experience.” Rarely (13 percent) are interns Figure 5: Call To Action: Help Fuel The Future Of The Promotional Products Industry Engage The American Marketing Association provides companies many ways to connect with over 11,000 of the brightest marketing undergraduate students and their faculty advisors: AMA International Collegiate Conference Over 1,400 AMA student members gather each April to learn, network, get career advice and showcase their talent in competitions. The conference offers a variety of ways to engage with students, including: Competitions Companies can gain fresh perspectives on marketing challenges by engaging students in areas focusing on marketing and sales strategy. Plus, they can see students in action through real-world business simulations. Roundtables Potential employers can share their career advice with students who are looking to launch into their first marketing jobs. Career Fairs The Career Fair attracts driven and qualified college marketers who can connect with employers ready to hire. Focus Groups Companies receive in person insights and opinions about their products from this important demographic. Educate The PPAI ADvocate Program is a complimentary speaker training and local marketing program designed to train promotional products professionals how to make presentations to end buyers about the power of promotional products and how to demonstrate why industry professionals are the most effective resource for their communications and marketing solutions. To learn more about how to get started, visit: advocate.ppai.org . Another way that industry experts can support student learning is by mentoring students. Many schools host mentoring programs to connect students with industry leaders either during the day or after school hours. 92 | SEPTEMBER 2018 |