FAQs
FAQs: Got a question about the The Scholarship Program? This might help…
Safety is our top priority and having already ran multiple programs through the pandemic we are confident that whilst COVID-19 may mean changes to the way the program is delivered, the impact of the Scholarship experience will not be affected. The program equips our Scholars with everything they need to become great leaders, and we believe there is a crucial need for great leadership now more than ever.
Throughout the selection process and the program we commit to transparent & frequent communication as the landscape continues to change.
The safety of our applicants, judges and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ interviews are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
The Bootcamp events are mandatory, however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe or not achievable during 2021 due to COVID-19, they will be held in virtual format. You will still need to attend and failure to do so may result in termination of your Scholarship place.
The Marketing Academy’s Scholarship Program is a 9-month leadership development program of Mentoring, Coaching and Learning. The program is completely free of charge though highly selective and if you’re successful in securing a place you’ll receive the following benefits:
- The opportunity to meet with 8 senior industry leaders (Brand and Agency) for face to face mentoring sessions
- An Executive Coach to work with throughout the entire program
- 3 x Residential Boot Camps* (9 days in total) each year filled with leadership development, inspirational speakers, CEOs and master classes
- The opportunity to voluntarily participate in charity program, donating your time to a small UK charity
- Participation in a life changing Leadership Development Program
- Peer to Peer networking
- Exposure to high level marketing expertise across all industries
- Lifetime access to the Academy as Alumni
- Access to TMA Global Virtual Campus: A supplementary online curriculum of workshops, lectures & keynote sessions
You can download and read the entire outline of the Scholarship Program here
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
Nothing, it’s completely free. The entire content of the Scholarship Program is delivered by exceptional people who volunteer their time, knowledge and expertise.
To get the most out of the program all delegates should expect to invest 15 working days of time to attend 3 ‘boot camps’ near London, up to 8 mentoring sessions, Virtual Campus Events and coaching sessions. In addition, there may be time outside of work where you prepare for mentoring or coaching sessions or to share your learning within your teams or externally.
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
9 days of residential Boot Camps* based near London. The Scholars will attend 3 boot camps:
• Boot Camp 1 – Monday 17th May 2021 to Friday 21st May 2021
• Boot Camp 2 – Thursday 16th September 2021 to Friday 17th September 2021
• Boot Camp 3 – Thursday 20th January 2022 to Friday 21st January 2022
• 12 hours for your mentoring sessions. You will have up to 8 sessions and these are spread throughout the 9 months and take place as 90 minute sessions.
• 9 hours for your coaching sessions. These are organised by the Scholars and their coaches and are spread throughout the 9 month program.
TMA Virtual campus events – an online curriculum of workshops, lectures and keynote sessions. The time for these will vary from Scholar to Scholar depending on how many they attend. Virtual Campus events will also be available on demand.
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
We are a voluntary organisation and therefore unable to contribute to any expenses incurred by Scholars whilst travelling to mentoring meetings, coaching sessions, or learning events. This cost must be met by the Scholars or their employers. It should be noted that the Boot Camps may require overnight accommodation which must also be paid by the Scholar or their employer. We will always try and keep costs to a minimum.
You can read more about what our alumni has to say about the program here.
Whilst employers must be in support of the Scholar’s application to the program, it is not compulsory for employers to give their Scholar fully paid leave. In our experience employers appreciate the level of development the Scholarship provides to their rising stars and tend to be extremely generous in giving our Scholars time to take part. However, it is expected for employers to allow Scholars to take some time as holiday or unpaid leave.
Please note that attendance to all three boot camps* is mandatory to be accepted onto the program.
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
The Scholarship year begins in May 2021 and is kicked off with a five-day Boot Camp. The Scholarship runs until the end of January 2022.
You can apply if you are based outside of England, however it is essential that you are able to travel for all the Scholarship events to make the most of the Scholarship. Mentoring sessions take place in and around London, so you may find you have less mentoring sessions if you live further away.
You can find a list of all the mentors, coaches, partners, judges and companies who are involved in delivering the Scholarship globally here.
Here are the key dates for the 2021 Scholarship Program:
SELECTION PROCESS:
• 26th February 2021 – Scholarship nomination portal closes
• 5th March 2021 – Scholarship application deadline and application screening begins
• 6th – 16th April 2021 – Pitch interviews*
• 26th – 30th April 2021 – Panel interviews*
• 3rd May 2021 – Successful applicants will be notified if they have a Scholarship place
• 13th May 2021 – Scholars will be publicly announced
*COVID-19 Update: The safety of our applicants, judges and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ interviews are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
BOOT CAMP DATES:
- Boot Camp 1 – Monday 17th May 2021 to Friday 21st May 2021
- Boot Camp 2 – Thursday 16th September 2021 to Friday 17th September 2021
- Boot Camp 3 – Thursday 20th January 2022 to Friday 21st January 2022
Boot Camp* attendance is mandatory. If you are unable to attend any of the Boot Camp dates for any reason, you may lose your place on the program.
*COVID-19 Update: Attendance to the Bootcamp events is mandatory however the safety of Scholars, Speakers and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ events are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
Nominations
We will inform successful Scholars employers if they are accepted onto the Scholarship Program. We are not able to share updates with Nominators who are not the Scholar’s employer. You are also welcome to join The Marketing Academy Community groups on LinkedIn and Facebook or follow us on Twitter – we regularly update with what’s going on via these channels.
Occasionally people ask us who nominated them and by submitting your nomination you agreed to us telling the nominee who made their nomination. If you prefer your nomination to be anonymous then you can request this by emailing info.uk@themarketingacademy.org
We actually recommend you give you ‘nominee’ some warning before you nominate them – you might consider sending them a copy of the Guide to the Scholarships which can be found here.
Yes. We have Scholarships available for individuals who do not have a ‘classic’ marketing background. Those who have demonstrated exceptional potential as natural marketers or who have shown outstanding entrepreneurial ability or exceptional achievement in the face of adversity will be considered
We support diversity, inclusion and equality in every context and firmly believe that everyone, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender or religion, should have the same opportunity to fast track their careers and learning via our programs.
We rely on you, as a nominator, to help us identify a breadth of talent across the entire industry.
No. You can nominate whoever you chose, be it a member of staff, colleague, subordinate, boss, peer, supplier or client. You can nominate someone at an agency or business that you’ve worked with and have been very impressed by, or any great young marketer who you feel is a rising star. But the bottom line is: your nominee must fit the selection criteria. Your nominee must fit the selection criteria which can be found here
Unfortunately the Scholarship criteria requires the nominees to be ‘employed’ or own their business and so they would therefore be rejected from the process at Stage One.
Yes, but you may disadvantage your nominee. The nomination portal closed on Monday 1st March 2021 and the closing date for applications is 5th March 2021. So, the earlier you nominate the more time your nominee will have to design and submit their application.
No. To be eligible for an ‘Invitation to Apply’ for a Marketing Academy 2021 Scholarship you will need to be nominated by someone who considers you worthy of a place. We will not accept self nominations and the nomination portal is regularly cross checked and verified.
You can nominate as many people as you like but they will be competing against each other for a Scholarship place. We strongly recommend that you only nominate the absolute best.
After you’ve nominated a rising marketing star on our website, you will receive an email confirming receipt of your nomination. Your nominee will be sent all the details they need in order to apply for a place.
Selection Process
The Scholarship Program is free but highly selective, and to apply you must first be nominated by someone through our website.
All ‘nominees’ then receive an ‘Invitation to Apply’ which includes essential information about the 3-stage selection process.
Nominations for the UK 2021 Scholarship Program closes on Monday 1st March 2021.
• Application — Submission deadline 5th March 2021 at 5pm
This 3-part application must include submission of a full CV, Employer’s Endorsement and a 2 Minute ‘Showcase Me’.
Nominees will be informed of their progress no later than 29th March 2021.
• The Pitch* — 6th to 16th April 2021
Successful applicants will be invited to make a 10 minute face to face* ‘pitch’ followed by a 15 min Q&A.
• Panel Interviews* — 26th to 30th April 2021
Successful applicants will be invited to a face-to-face* interview with a selection panel of Marketing and HR Professionals.
*COVID-19 Update: The safety of our applicants, judges and The Marketing Academy Team is of paramount importance. If the planned ‘in person’ interviews are deemed unsafe during 2021 due to COVID-19, then they will be held in virtual format.
Successful applicants will be notified if they have a Scholarship place by 3rd May
To find out more about the program and selection process check out our Scholarship Program Guide Here.
To continue through the selection process it’s essential we receive evidence of employer’s support of the nominees’ application in written form. An ‘Employer’s Endorsement Form’ is supplied with the ‘Invitation to Apply’. Employers are asked to outline why they feel their employees should receive a place on the program and to confirm that they will enable their employee to invest a minimum of 15 days to the program if awarded.
The ‘Showcase Me’ element of the Scholarship application is your chance to show your creative side and communicate exactly why you should be awarded a place on the program. It can be digital or physical as long as we can read / watch / listen / pick up / experience it in 2 minutes. All we’ll say is the more original the better! You can see a video about the Showcase Me on our You Tube here.
Whether your experience is in a consumer or B2B brand, public or charity sector, media or creative agency, media owner or platform, entrepreneur or working for companies large or small, all applicants will be assessed equally against strict criteria.
What we are looking for:
- Ideally between 5 to 15 years in a marketing or agency role*
- Currently in a leadership role
- Highly ambitious to further career in marketing leadership, aspiring to board roles
- Demonstrates commitment to career with evidence of results and achievements
- Evidence of commitment to broadening horizons, such as world travel or further education
- High emotional intelligence & natural drive to succeed
- Interests in charitable, social, cultural, creative or sporting endeavours
- Employed on a permanent (not freelance) basis in the UK with no risk of resignation for the duration of the program
*Please note: We have Scholarships available for individuals who do not have a ‘classic’ marketing background. Those who have demonstrated exceptional potential as natural marketers or who have shown outstanding entrepreneurial ability or exceptional achievement in the face of adversity will be considered.
We support diversity, inclusion and equality in every context and firmly believe that everyone, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender or religion, should have the same opportunity to fast track their careers and learning via our programs.
Additional Information
We believe that the learning curve of a new company wouldn’t mix well with the learnings of the Scholarship program. Therefore we reserve the right to terminate the Scholarship if you move company during the 9 month program.
We share free or discounted learning opportunities with the nominee’s who aren’t selected for a Scholarship. We also advise nominees re-apply in later years, as we have had many Scholars who were successful on their second, third or even fourth try.
Please email Taylor Hill, UK Program Lead on taylor@themarketingacademy.org
While we are doing everything we can to ensure the program is delivered in full, the current global pandemic related to COVID-19 has created some minor challenges as we re-adjust and plan some components of the Scholarship program. Please note safety is our top priority and we ask that our scholars be flexible as we manage unprecedented times yet our desire and passion to bring together the marketing community. We commit to continued communication throughout 2021 as the UK market continues to change.
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