As a rule, continuing education, further training to become a certified communications manager takes place alongside work. However, the teaching models differ depending on the school, so that prior clarification is necessary in order to find the right course model for the respective situation.

Anyone wishing to take the Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) for Head of Communications with a federal diploma must meet the following requirements:

• Completed Federal Professional Examination as a Communications Specialist or as a PR Specialist.
• At least two years of professional experience as an advertising manager, communications manager or communications consultant with a management function since obtaining the degree

or

• Federal Diploma of Marketing Specialist or degree from a University, University of Applied Sciences, College of Higher Education or Advanced Federal Professional Examination (AFPE) in the commercial field
• At least three years of professional experience in the field of corporate or marketing communications, provided that at least two of these years are in a management position.

or

• Completion of a federal Specialized Baccalaureate, Baccalaureate or Federal Vocational Baccalaureate or equivalent
• At least five years of professional experience in corporate and marketing communications (possibly in advertising in particular), two years of which in a management position

Qualified communication managers can be found in the communication departments of large and medium-sized companies, as well as in advertising and communication agencies. There they work in management positions or in communication departments and are responsible for the conception, planning and realization of product and service communication. Communication managers can also set up their own agency.

After the Head of Communications training, Heads of Communications can complete the following advanced courses:

• Higher professional examination for the Federal Diploma in Marketing Management
• With a vocational baccalaureate or "sur dossier": Bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences in communication or communication with a focus on journalism/organizational communication
• Postgraduate studies at a university of applied sciences: MAS in Communication Management, MAS in Corporate Communications Management or EMBA in Business Administration - Communication Management

The higher professional examination (HFP) to become a qualified communications manager is very comprehensive and comprises a total of six examination parts, which in turn are divided into a written and an oral part.

The written part of the examination is as follows:

• Basics A and B (solving mini cases on topics such as: economics, business administration, business management, operational management, marketing and market research)
• Corporate communication (solving practical cases in this area)
• Commercial communication (solving practical cases in this area)

The second part of the examination, which is an oral examination, is structured as follows:

• Critical success factors (technical discussion)
• Diploma thesis (presentation and technical discussion)

The communication manager training course focuses in particular on topics relating to communication management:

• Marketing
• Integrated communication/marketing communication
• Media
• Sales promotion/direct marketing/event marketing/sponsoring/multimedia
• Marketing statistics/advertising impact monitoring
• Public Relations/Investor Relations
• Business administration/cost accounting/budgeting
• Law
• National economy

The further training course for communication managers provides you with all the skills required to manage a marketing department.

You have the following responsibilities:

• Planning marketing communication
• Ensuring the achievement of communication goals
• Personnel management in the Marketing Communications department
• Responsible for the communication budget
• Coordinate marketing communication activities with activities from other areas of the company