Recognising that Irish tertiary institutions are not providing graduates with sufficient sales training, visual surveillance provider Netwatch has decided to develop its own graduate sales development programme.
The year-long programme combines classroom teaching with 'on the job' sales training from professionals, and participants will earn a salary as they learn.

The aim is to have 15 participants on the programme by the end of 2013 and to train more than 100 graduates over the next five years. While not all participants will be employed full-time by Netwatch at the end of their placements, the hope is they will have gained valuable skills and the experience required to find work elsewhere.

Missing the Bigger Picture
"Irish people have a natural sales ability but our universities fall short in developing this talent," said Netwatch Group CEO David Walsh, explaining the company's decision to establish this programme.

"It is remarkable that we have no dedicated graduate degree qualification in sales in any of our tertiary institutions. As a country, we are missing the bigger picture," he continued. "Significant resources are devoted to developing technical experts, yet if a business cannot sell, and cannot sell internationally, it fails. As a company, we are making this investment to strengthen our own sales team but, more importantly, to help develop the next wave of talent to support Ireland's recovery."

Netwatch was established in Carlow in 2003 but has since grown to have offices in the US and the UK, employing over 130 people. Participants in the employment programme will have the opportunity to work in one of these locations, while they will also attend formal lectures in sales techniques, negotiation skills, and professional development.

Walsh says the programme is accepting applications from anyone with a real drive for sales and a desire to develop a professional sales career.