FAQs
FAQs: Got a question about the The Scholarship Program? This might help…
The Marketing Academy’s Scholarship Program is a leadership development program of Mentoring, Coaching and Learning which runs from May 2023 to the end of January 2024. 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) filled with leadership development, inspirational speakers, CMOs, CEOs and master classes
• 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
The cost to attend the program is completely free. The entire content of the Scholarship Program is delivered by exceptional people who volunteer their time, knowledge, and expertise.
However, we don’t contribute to any travel or accommodation expenses. The residential Boot Camps require a total of 5 night’s accommodation in or near London which must be paid by the Scholars or their employers (we promise not to book expensive venues!). Attendance to all Boot Camps and staying on site is mandatory even if you live nearby.
To get the most out of the program Scholars should expect to invest 15 working days of time to attend 3 ‘Boot Camps’, up to 8 mentoring sessions, Virtual Campus events, and regular coaching sessions. Scholars are also given the opportunity to volunteer their time with selected charities. 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.
9 days of residential Boot Camps:
• Boot Camp 1 – Monday 15th May 2023 to Friday 19th May 2023
• Boot Camp 2 – Thursday 21st September 2023 to Friday 22nd September 2023
• Boot Camp 3 – Thursday 18th January 2024 to Friday 19th January 2024
Up to 12 hours for your mentoring sessions. Scholars will have around 8 x 90-minute sessions, and these are spread throughout the program. These are organised by the Scholars and their mentors.
6-9 hours for your coaching sessions. Scholars will have around 8 x 60-minute sessions, and these are spread throughout the program. These are organised by the Scholars and their coaches.
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.
The 3 Boot Camps are intense, immersive, and residential events, attended by the entire cohort of 30 delegates, and are packed with learning, speakers, and workshops.
All 3 Bootcamp events are mandatory. You will need to attend in full and failure to do so may result in termination of your Scholarship place. For information on how COVID-19 might affect the experience please scroll down to Additional Information.
We are a not-for-profit company 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 will require 6 nights overnight accommodation which must also be paid by the Scholar or their employer. We will always try and keep costs to a minimum.
Whilst employers must be in support of the Scholar’s application to the program, it is not compulsory for them to give their Scholar fully paid leave. In our experience employers appreciate the level of development the Scholarship provides to their rising stars and the ripple effect it has on their team, so tend to be extremely generous in giving our Scholars time to take part. However, some employers may require Scholars to take some time as holiday or unpaid leave.
Please note that attendance to all the Boot Camps is mandatory to be accepted onto the program.
The Scholarship year begins in May 2023 and is kicked off with a five-day Boot Camp. The Scholarship runs until the end of January 2024.
You can apply if you live a maximum of three hours outside of the UK, however it is essential that you are able to travel for all the Scholarship events to make the most of the Scholarship, and how you plan to do this must be proven within your application.
You can find a list of all the mentors, coaches, partners, judges, and companies who are involved in delivering the Scholarship on our website – https://themarketingacademy.org/uk/ – just click the Who’s Involved tab.
You can read more about what our alumni has to say about the program here.
Here are the key dates for the 2023 Scholarship Program:
SELECTION PROCESS:
• 17th February 2023 – Scholarship nomination portal closes
• 24th February 2023 – Scholarship application deadline and application screening begins
• 27th March – 6th April 2023 – Pitch interviews
• 24th April – 28th April 2023 – Panel interviews
• W/c 1st May 2023 – Successful applicants will be notified if they have a Scholarship place
BOOT CAMP DATES:
• Boot Camp 1 – Monday 15th May 2023 to Friday 19th May 2023
• Boot Camp 2 – Thursday 21st September 2023 to Friday 22nd September 2023
• Boot Camp 3 – Thursday 18th January 2024 to Friday 19th January 2024
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.
Nominations
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 our criteria.
What we are looking for*:
• Ideally between 8 and 18 years in a marketing or agency role
• Currently in a leadership role
• Highly ambitious to further career in marketing leadership, aspiring to C-Suite or board roles
• Demonstrates commitment to career with evidence of results and achievements
• Evidence of commitment to broadening horizons, such as an interest in charitable, social, cultural, creative, travel or sporting endeavours.
• High emotional intelligence & natural drive to succeed
• Employed on a permanent (not freelance) basis in the UK at a company for a minimum of 6 months
• No known risk of termination or 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.
Occasionally people ask us who nominated them and by submitting your nomination you agree 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 Scholarship Program 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, boss, peer, supplier, client, friend, or family. You can nominate someone at an agency or business that you’ve worked with and have been very impressed by, or any great marketer who you feel is a rising star. But the bottom line is your nominee should fit the selection criteria which can be found here.
The Scholarship criteria requires the nominees to be fully employed or own their business.
The learning provided throughout the Scholarship centres around leadership development. We have discovered that the Scholars with a wide and consistent span of direct leadership & influence within one company, are able to implement the learning immediately and can practice the tools and techniques in real time. This also enables the Scholars to get the most out of the Mentor sessions, allowing them to discuss & debate real situations which mirror the practical experience of the Mentors. Depending on the span of the freelance role this consistency can be significantly reduced, along with the ability to make wide reaching impact across a business where the Scholar is directly accountable for the long-term results.
We can only take 30 Scholars on any program. With over 250 people involved in their development and learning its essential that we ensure the widest possible ‘ripple effect’ of the learning so that the benefit of the Scholarship can be felt more widely within the industry. Past experience has taught us that Scholars in significant leadership roles, directly employed by one company for the duration of the program, can have a greater lasting impact on their business than those in temporary, interim or short-term roles.
The learning curve of the Scholarship does not mix well with the learning curve of a new role. In fact, we have found that it can be so detrimental to the Scholar (and their new employer) that we withhold the right to remove Scholars from the program if they change roles during it (much as we hate to do so). We minimise this risk by ensuring that Scholars are employed, supported by their current employer and are crystal clear on their career goals – and timings – before embarking on the program. If the Scholar is in ‘transition’ or seeking the next role while on the program then we find that most of the learning and interactions with Mentors, Coaches and the other Scholars are experienced through that lens, which ultimately results in a reductive experience. The nature of freelance work means that the likelihood of embarking on and / or seeking new roles is higher.
If you know someone in transition / freelancing / contracting they may be eligible to enrol on our Virtual Campus program – please send them this link https://themarketingacademy.org/uk/the-marketing-academy-virtual-campus/
Yes, but you may disadvantage your nominee. The nomination portal closes on 17th February 2023 and the closing date for applications is 24th February 2023 and nominees don’t receive the details on how to apply until they’ve been nominated. It can take a lot of thought, time and resource for the nominee to put together the 3-part application.
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’ 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.
After you’ve nominated, 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 the Nomination portal on our website.
All nominees then receive an ‘Invitation to Apply’ which includes essential information about the 3-stage selection process.
Nominations for the UK 2023 Scholarship Program close on 17th February 2023.
• Application — Submission deadline 24th February 2023 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 24th March 2023.
• The Pitch — 27th March to 6th April 2023.
Successful applicants will be invited to make a 10-minute ‘pitch’ followed by a 15-minute Q&A. The Pitch will take place via Zoom.
• Panel Interviews — 24th April – 28th April 2023
Successful applicants will be invited to a video interview with a selection panel of Marketing and HR Professionals.
Successful applicants will be notified if they have a Scholarship place w/c 1st May 2023.
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.
If you have only been at your company for six months, in addition to an endorsement from your current employer, you are allowed to submit an endorsement from a previous employer too.
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.
UK ONLY: It can be digital or physical as long as we can read, watch, listen, pick up or 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 YouTube here. Details on how to how to submit it are within the ‘Invitation to Apply’ you receive when you are nominated.
Additional Information
The learning curve of the Scholarship does not mix well with the learning curve of a new role. In fact we have found that it can be so detrimental to the Scholar (and their new employer) that we reserve the right to terminate the Scholarship place if they change roles during it.
We minimise this risk by ensuring that Scholars are employed, supported by their current employer, are under no known risk of resignation, are crystal clear on their career goals – and timings – before embarking on the program. If the Scholar is in ‘transition’ or seeking the next role while on the program then we find that most of the learning and interactions with Mentors, Coaches and the other Scholars are experienced through that lens, which ultimately results in a reductive experience.
We believe that the learning curve of a new company wouldn’t mix well with the intense experience of attending the program, therefore we reserve the right to terminate the place on the program if delegates move company during the program.
Safety is our top priority and having already delivered multiple programs through the pandemic we are confident that whilst COVID-19 may mean changes to the program format, the impact of the Scholarship experience will not be affected.
Throughout the selection process and the program we commit to transparent & frequent communication if we believe COVID will impact the delivery of the program.
Nominees who apply for the Scholarship and don’t make it on the program are given access to our Virtual Campus. We also share free or discounted learning opportunities with the nominees who aren’t selected for a Scholarship. We also advise nominees to 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
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