University certificates in “Competitive/Market Intelligence”

The Institute for Competitive Intelligence (ICI) GmbH in Butzbach and the University of Applied Science, Koblenz (Germany), have agreed a strategic partnership. From July 2019 onwards ICI-certificates are accredited as “university certificate degrees”.

The 7 ICI certificates are designed for practitioners who want to combine university-level studies with full-time work and are looking for an interesting, challenging job in Competitive / Market Intelligence. Participants in these master-level certificates include scientists, engineers, economists and researchers.

The complete ICI course catalogue consists of 31 class-room days, self-study and coached projects. After you complete the exam the University of Applied Science Koblenz and the ICI will award successful candidates a university certificate. Graduates will receive their credit points which count towards further related university degrees, according to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).

ICI’s certificate programs convey knowledge and skills in competitive and market intelligence at a master degree level. With the gained know-how and competencies graduates will be able to plan and carry out challenging research projects and build-up and manage successful CI/MI departments. This interdisciplinary education also touches on other subjects such as business analysis, market research, knowledge management, strategic business planning and communication and reporting.

ICI’s director, Rainer Michaeli, explains that ICI’s graduates usually end up working in high- or middle- management positions. “Being able to lead a company through rough times, needs qualified education”, says Michaeli. ICI certificates offer a balanced mix between practical and academic concepts – great potential for a company in order to gain competitive advantage.

“Besides the professional qualifications, an important part of the certification program focuses on strengthening the methodological and personal competencies of the participants”, adds Professor Dr. Mühlencoert, who is responsible for continuous education at the WISO faculty at the university of Koblenz. In vocational qualifications for employees, which now also includes ICI certificates, he clearly sees a win-win situation. New management talent is prepared for an always changing environment through highly-qualified education for employees – an investment that always pays back to the employer.