Veronica Swindale, Founder and Managing Director, set up nesma to deliver marketing training as she is passionate about empowering people.
“I’m really proud nesma has helped thousands of students complete their qualifications and supported them in reaching their development goals; now it is time to build on our impressive track record.”
Securing funding from the NPIF II – NEL Smaller Loans, which NEL Fund Managers manages as part of Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), will help us capitalise on our creative expansion plans to double our revenue year on year over the next five years. This funding is a significant milestone for us, as it validates our growth strategy and provides the necessary financial support to execute our plans.
Veronica founded nesma in 2009 to deliver accredited training qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), and a wide range of related training courses. This loan will enable nesma to extend its training offer and SkillsPartner programme. To support this development, we will add more specialised staff to create new content and courses, streamline delivery and enter new markets.
nesma can boast that it is the only training provider North of the Watford Gap that delivers training on behalf of the CIM and CIPR institutes. As an accomplished study centre for these prestigious institutes, we adhere to strict criteria regarding staff quality, evidence of results, and governance. nesma is also a licensed SOSTAC® training provider, the only one in the UK authorised to deliver this unique collection of training.
In recent years, nesma has successfully transitioned 99% of its training to an online model. We take pride in maintaining a classroom environment through live professional tutoring, facilitating rich discussions, and fostering relationships among learners. With a 94-100% pass rate every quarter, our online training model has enabled us to grow our international client base from 0 in 2019 to 10% of all learners, delivering training across 30 countries.
Veronica says, “I am extremely pleased to have got the business to a point where we can add value, not only to individuals but to whole organisations’ marketing and communications capability through our SkillsPartner programme. I made a strategic decision to bring Paul Sutherland into the business as our Commercial Director last year, and he has helped me shape our vision and led the transition to make us future fit. He recommended that I approach NEL to support our plans to expand. I found working with them very straightforward, and I look forward to continuing the relationship with them as we grow.”
She continues, “Our new approach to delivering marketing and communications qualifications means that team members can complete all qualifications or use a pick-and-mix approach to individual modules. CIM has recently introduced a more agile syllabus whereby students can complete an Award in as little as six weeks in various topics, including marketing essentials, customer journey mapping, social responsibility, SEO, AI, MarTech at introductory through to Masters Level. Most of the modules are assessed online with multiple-choice questions, so there is no need for arduous assignments and no fixed exam date. Our courses start every three months with several complimentary programmes available on demand and sometimes free of charge for SkillsPartners”.
Paul Sutherland, Commercial Director, shares Veronica’s enthusiasm, “It’s a fantastic time to be part of nesma, working alongside a loyal and enthusiastic community. nesma already has many brilliant brand ambassadors! Our SkillsPartner programme has received excellent feedback from companies and agencies, such as ‘this is a great idea’ and ‘it’s a nobrainer’. They appreciate finding one organisation to deliver all their marketing and communications training, relieving them of one headache. Heads of Departments are delighted to find introductory programmes for team members who may have never studied marketing but need a good understanding to support their marketing colleagues”.
Mike Guellard, Senior Investment Executive at NEL adds, “nesma has solid foundations within its market. The plans presented to us were ambitious but achievable, with a clear focus on expanding into UK and international markets. The launch of SkillsPartner provides yet further opportunity for growth, and we were pleased to be able to provide the NPIF II funding needed to make that growth a reality.”
Veronia summarises, “The funding nesma secured from NEL will enable us to realise a plan we created about 18 months ago; with their support, we are confident we can achieve our vision for the next five years”.
As a training organisation, prioritising growth and development is essential to delivering exceptional outcomes for our learning community. We continually evolve our expertise and approaches to keep our programmes relevant, innovative, and impactful. Our dedication to growth strengthens our organisation and empowers our community to achieve the best possible results.
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