Marketing and initial teacher training in higher education : bridging the gap

This thesis assesses the link between marketing and Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in two higher education institutions. The study comprises a survey and case studies of all the ITT staff in the two universities. The case studies were carried out by semi-structured interviews with key members in the faculty of education and the marketing department of each of the HEIs. The link between marketing and ITT is examined through the application of strategic marketing theory and a theoretical framework for the link is presented. The study showed that the link between marketing and education is dependent upon the stage of development of each institution in terms of marketing. There was no one simple model of marketing but it was found that both universities were well orientated in linking marketing strategy to ITT. The responsiveness of both HEIs to customer needs was found to be appropriate to their organisational structure and their existing culture. The study showed that there were several conflicting pressures faced by senior managers, many of which are similar to those experienced by other university faculties. The main tensions and conflicts faced by managers were to do with managing resources in a difficult economic climate ensuring high quality student recruitment and retention enhancing institutional image addressing issues of competition and developing partnerships. The need for the faculty of education to work closely with the marketing department was considered to be important. The main difficulty which the ITT staff and the marketing staff experience is the lack of communication between them generated by work overload. This presents a challenge by all parties to consider the priority given to the link between marketing and education. A number of initiatives for linking marketing and ITT are identified. These include fostering partnerships with schools and business partners developing closer links with the marketing department and being more proactive in involving students in the development and organisation of ITT provision.