What exactly is “corporate management education”?
Today’s complex business world calls for employees who are flexible and have extensive knowledge. In addition to specialist continuing education courses, business administration and management skills programs are in particular demand. In consultation with a partner company, Corporate Management Education assesses that company’s needs and designs suitable training programs. Depending on what they want, these programs can cover a wide range of subjects, including finance, strategic management, marketing management, leadership, or international management.

What formats do these corporate education programs have?
The content these programs deliver is again packaged individually. Formats include workshops, seminars (one day or more), or an entire Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program. A custom CAS program provides participants with a certificate from an accredited business school.

How do you design corporate management education programs?
In a first step, we, that is Christian Olivier Graf, Head of the “Continuing & Corporate Education” Team at the Department of International Business, and myself, assess a company’s needs and choose a suitable format. Based on what we find out, we choose the subjects to be covered and assign suitable instructors. Our corporate management education programs are taught at the SML in Winterthur or in an external training center.

What is the added value for the partner company?
Needs-oriented employee development makes a company fit for the future. Corporate management education can provide new impetus, strengthen a company’s innovative power, and develop its skills in ways that have a long-term effect. Tailor-made training programs not only deliver new input, they also provide a platform for exchange among employees, which in turn strengthens the corporate identity. In addition, corporate education programs can play an important role in organizational change processes.

How do you develop your own skills and knowledge?
I read scientific books and magazines and enroll in continuing education programs. Most recently, I completed a program at ZHAW entitled CAS in Kulturpolitik und Kulturförderung (CAS in Cultural Policy and Cultural Promotion). Continuing education expands your horizons, gives you new impulses, and helps you to grow your network – I can’t recommend it enough!