THE CERTIFICATE in professional selling is a new course for people who work in sales. It was launched jointly last month by the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Sales Institute of Ireland.

Graduates of this course will receive a cert from DIT Mountjoy Square and the institute.

This is one of the first courses in sales which has been put together with direct industry input and backing, with its syllabus designed by a team of practitioners. It is aimed directly at people who are senior sales professionals and will have a strong practical focus, with guest lecturers from the industry.

Georgina Charleton, director of the Sales Institute of Ireland, which was established last year, says that over 60,000 people are employed in sales in Ireland, but that there is "a lack of basic courses in sales" and of professional qualifications for people who want to pursue a career in sales.

"A lot of people do marketing degrees. However, there are not enough jobs in marketing for them," she says. Marketing courses, she adds, are not aimed at people who work specifically in sales. Often people who do marketing courses may get a job working for a marketing manager with up to 100 other sales people. "They are frustrated," Charleton says.

The Sales Institute of Ireland she says, was established "to raise the status of sales". Someone following a career in sales has for too long been regarded as a second-class citizen she adds. To date the institute's membership consists of over 450 members and 28 corporate member companies.

Paul O'Sullivan, director of the faculty of business and marketing at DIT Mountjoy Square, warmly welcomes the Sales Institute of Ireland "as a partner in the development of this innovative course and we look forward to many years of close cooperation in developing and enhancing the selling profession".

He also explains that DIT is committed to giving the new course full access to all the resources of DIT Mountjoy Square, which includes an academic staff with significant teaching and industry experience, an adjunct facility of leading industry experts and state-of-the-art library and computer facilities.

The places on this year's course are already full. To be considered for participation in the course, candidates must be senior sales professionals in their companies. "Normally they will be in the top 25 per cent of their company's sales force," according to the course syllabus.