Case Study | Educators
ICE MALTA
PLATINUM PARTNER
Location: MaltaPartner since: 2014
PLATINUM
PARTNER
As an expert in providing globally recognized training, ICE Malta wanted a certification that would enable students to strengthen their digital skills and progress their careers
As Malta's only ISO 9001:2008 certified ICT Academy, the Institute of Computer Education (ICE Malta), was founded four years ago in the heart of the Mediterranean. Together with international educational partners, the team then designed study programmes which helped position talent as prime candidates for career opportunities. As a result, digital skills were positioned as a high priority on ICE Malta’s agenda.
The Challenge
Digital skills have long been established as crucial components of the modern job-market landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic helped in no small way to consolidate how essential a digital backbone is for businesses and job-seekers alike, as they try to remain relevant and competitive in an increasingly digitised world.
The founders of ICE Malta had identified the digital gap in the market as early as 2014, when they first partnered with the Digital Marketing Institute to provide the necessary training and certification for individuals in the Maltese Islands. Since then, however, the need for digital marketing skills has not only kept growing but also extended beyond the realm of the marketing industry.
To tackle the issue, the ICE Malta team worked with industry leaders to revisit the skills gaps across businesses and identify the broader digital training needs of individuals seeking flexible and enduring employability skills.
"What we’ve come to realise about Malta’s workforce is that the skills associated with digital marketing were not only in demand by local businesses and marketing professionals or those seeking to break into the industry. Rather, there is a broader spectrum of interest in professional digital certification given the highly adaptable nature of digital. We also wanted to cater for a rising local demand for non-traditional certification and hands-on, job-ready training.”
ICE Malta, a veteran Tech Academy providing worldwide recognized certifications by educational giants such as AWS, Adobe, Cisco, UX Design Institute and Microsoft, amongst others, has always valued the importance of certification and the need to help individuals gain current and immediately applicable skills.
The DMI Pro was of particular interest to ICE Malta since its 360-degree approach to the full spectrum of digital marketing skills ensured that the content would combine the use of tools with the design and implementation of strategy. Of equal importance was the fact that the DMI has a dedicated Global Industry Advisory Council, made up of individuals representing the biggest names in the field, who work collectively to ensure that the course content is always attuned to the latest industry developments and trends for the ultimate benefit of the student.
For these reasons, ICE Malta sought to build on its relationship with the Digital Marketing Institute as a partner that shared the same ethos and standard of quality
The Solution
In 2014, ICE Malta’s founders earmarked the Digital Marketing Institute as an ideal partner to help them fulfil their vision for their first non-vendor programme. After extensive discussions, the organisation decided to roll out the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (aka DMI Pro), which was at the time the only certification built by industry giants, to enable students to strengthen their skill sets and progress in their digital marketing careers.
For years, ICE Malta had ambitions to run a national project to upskill Maltese professionals in digital marketing, and even though such skills were originally considered ineligible for government funding, the institute eventually succeeded in convincing the main stakeholders of the value of hands-on digital training.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the DMI Pro offered by ICE Malta was selected as one of the courses sponsored as part of a national upskilling effort, demonstrating the programme’s significance to ever-changing job-market needs. This resulted in a surge in popularity for the course as people reconsidered their job prospects during a precarious time for employment and the digital marketing skills provided by the programme helped many embark on new career paths.
A leader in the digital sphere, the DMI Pro is a constantly evolving syllabus that focuses on current trends and best practices to provide a curriculum ideal for anyone involved in the planning, implementation or measurement of digital strategies or anyone looking to pursue a career in this area. Moreover, the DMI Pro, which is now the biggest digital marketing certification globally, was also deemed particularly suitable to provide a universal digital skill set that benefits the individual looking for transferable skills.
Ultimately, what the local industry in Malta was lacking was a comprehensive coverage of digital marketing skills that did not stop at social media practices, and the DMI Pro not only fulfilled this criteria but also ensured a focused course delivery timeframe that would appeal to prospective learners.
Since successfully launching the programme, ICE Malta has gone on to certify hundreds of students in this one project. Capitalising on its strong student numbers and testimonials, as well as its world-class student experience, ICE Malta is still attracting new learners with its alumni’s inspiring stories and its instructors’ industry expertise. Following their success with DMI Pro, ICE Malta later added the Digital Marketing Expert (Postgraduate) programme to its portfolio to cater for individuals seeking further expertise in the area.
Following nine years of partnership, ICE Malta has become one of our most successful training partners, in spite of the fact that Malta is one of the smallest islands in the world. Being the top institute to target the local market gap with digital marketing certification, the 3-time awarded Platinum Partner has helped the Digital Marketing Institute certify a steadily growing number of students from the Maltese Islands.
Hear from some of ICE Malta students who have been empowered by Digital Marketing.