A pair of marketing industry associations are partnering their complementary career development programs to offer members a more holistic educational experience.

While the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) and AMA Toronto each offer skills development programs for their members, not all marketers are aware of the opportunities offered by each organization.

The partnership is intended to change that by bringing together the AMA’s Career Accelerator, a one-on-one mentorship program, with the CMA’s Chartered Marketer designation program and its free skills development program CMA NXT in a cross-promotional effort that has reach across the membership of both associations.

“We want to bring awareness about all of these programs to all of our constituents. People are members of one or the other association due to various circumstances, but we want them to be aware of the full array of programs available to them for their professional and career growth,” says Miglena Nikolova, president of AMA Toronto.

By bringing the programs together, the CMA sees an opportunity to expand its reach and better deliver on its mission to develop young marketers, according to John Wiltshire, the association’s president and CEO.

“The partnership raises awareness of – and participation in – our chartered marketer designation, CMA NXT, and other offerings to help young marketers grow their careers,” he says. “Because AMA Toronto uses an individual membership model, the partnership will help us reach additional marketers without a current relationship with the CMA.”

WIltshire adds that the partnership will also enrich the experience of people who take advantage of the programs.

“Having more marketers from a wide variety of backgrounds involved in our programs will improve the learning experience of all participants,” he says.