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Occupational Certificate

Marketing & Advertising

Higher Occupational Certificate: Advertiser

  • Graduates earn R400,000 a year
  • NQF Level 5, SAQA ID 121447
  • 12 months, online and live
Apply nowSpeak to an advisor

What you will work with

  • Meta
  • Google Ads
  • Google Analytics
  • ChatGPT
  • Canva
  • Figma
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Claude
Course length
12 months
Requirements
NQF Level 4 qualification (Matric or equivalent)
Certificate
Confirmed before the first intake
Learning style
Online and live
Start date
23 Mar 2027
Applications close
16 Mar 2027

About the occupational certificate

This marketing course is the QCTO's Higher Occupational Certificate: Advertiser, taught by Zaio Institute of Technology over 12 months, online and live. You cover client services, marketing strategy, creative ideation, tactics and analytics from the national curriculum, then Zaio modules in AI copywriting, generative creative, media planning across Meta, Google, TikTok and LinkedIn, programmatic buying and GA4.

Entry is matric or an NQF Level 4 equivalent. Tuition is paid upfront or financed monthly; the QCTO issues the certificate after the EISA. You graduate able to take a brief from strategy to creative, channels and the results report.

Curriculum

What the qualification covers.

01Knowledge Modules (50 Credits)

16 modules

The strategic foundations of advertising, extended with Zaio Theory (ZTAD) modules on modern tools.

  • Communication Skills (5 Credits)
  • Client Services (10 Credits)
  • Project Management (5 Credits)
  • Marketing Strategies (10 Credits)
  • Creative Thinking and Ideation (5 Credits)

02Practical Skill Modules (35 Credits)

7 modules

Each module puts you in the seat of an agency practitioner.

  • Client Needs (5 Credits)
  • Project Management (5 Credits)
  • Marketing Strategies (5 Credits)
  • Ideation (5 Credits)
  • Client Sign-off (5 Credits)

03Work Experience Modules (35 Credits)

7 modules

Build a portfolio of real campaign work.

  • Client Needs (5 Credits)
  • Project Management (5 Credits)
  • Marketing Strategies (5 Credits)
  • Ideation (5 Credits)
  • Client Sign-Off (5 Credits)

Every module, and what it is worth in credits

In the 2027 learner prospectus. Read it here, or download the PDF.

View the prospectus

Tools you will use

  • Meta
  • Google Ads
  • Google Analytics
  • ChatGPT
  • Canva
  • Figma
  • TikTok
  • LinkedIn
  • Claude

How the time is spent

  1. Part 1

    Theory modules (runs with Part 2, theory exam)

  2. Part 2

    Practical training (workbook, observation and assessment)

  3. Part 3

    Workplace modules (portfolio of evidence)

  4. External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA)

The difference

What makes this different.

Most advertising programmes teach the frameworks. Zaio teaches the frameworks and the AI toolstack that runs them, on live campaign simulations:

120
Credits
30
Modules
9
Zaio-exclusive

Registered on the NQF at Level 5 (SAQA ID 121447) and issued by the QCTO after the EISA, with the modern advertising toolstack on top.

Ship campaigns from day one

You'll run at least three live campaign simulations before you graduate — from brief to creative to media plan to analytics report.

Beyond the curriculum

Where standard QCTO programmes stop at how advertising works, you'll master AI copywriting, generative creative tools and modern paid-media platforms.

Portfolio first

Every graduate leaves with a client-brief portfolio: strategy decks, ad creatives and campaign reports. This is what agencies actually ask to see in interviews.

Agency ready

Learn how to work with a creative team, present to clients and defend creative decisions — the soft skills that actually get you hired.

Outcomes

Where this takes you.

Graduates work as account executives, media planners, copywriters and performance marketers, in agencies or in-house.

Career paths
  • Junior Copywriter
  • Account Executive
  • Media Planner / Buyer
  • Digital Marketing Specialist
  • Social Media Manager
  • Performance Marketing Specialist
  • Brand Coordinator
Progression paths
  • Account Manager
  • Creative Director
  • Marketing Manager
  • Agency Founder
  • In-house Brand Lead
Universal skills that enhance any role
  • Strategic thinking
  • Client management
  • Written and visual communication
  • Data-driven decision-making
  • Creative problem-solving

Faculty

Who teaches it.

All instructors

  • Instructor to be announced

    School of Business & Marketing

    Teaches

    Business development, marketing and design

  • Instructor to be announced

    School of Business & Marketing

    Teaches

    Business development, marketing and design

Tuition

What it costs, and how you pay.

Pay by year

  • UpfrontR67,850
  • EISA exam fee not included (approx. R6,000)

Paid year by year as you progress, with the national EISA exam fee at the end.

Speak to an advisor

Pay monthly — flexible financing

R6,615 a month

Spread across the 12 months you are studying. Financed through Manati, up to 100% of tuition, so you can start without paying it all upfront. Approval is theirs, and every cost is confirmed in writing before you enrol.

See financing options

Ready to start

Applications close
16 Mar 2027
Starts
23 Mar 2027

Who can apply

  • NQF Level 4 qualification (Matric or equivalent)
Apply now

Takes about five minutes.

FAQ

Questions about the Marketing & Advertising occupational certificate.

Ask an advisor
(01)Is this marketing course accredited?
Zaio Technology (Pty) Ltd, trading as Zaio Institute of Technology, is a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider. This particular qualification is not yet on our accreditation letters, so we make no accreditation claim for it here. Ask an advisor where it stands before you apply.
(02)What is the difference between this certificate and the Digital Marketing bootcamp?
The bootcamp is nine weeks part-time and covers the digital channels with a portfolio deliverable each week. This certificate is an 18-month national qualification at NQF Level 5 that covers the whole advertising process, from client brief to optimisation, with workplace modules and a national exam.
(03)What are the entry requirements?
An NQF Level 4 qualification, which is matric or an equivalent. No marketing experience is needed.
(04)How long is the course?
Eighteen months, combining theory, practical training, workplace modules and the national EISA exam.
(05)What does it cost?
R67,850 upfront, or from R6,615 a month, plus the EISA exam fee of about R6,000 paid separately.
(06)Which tools will I learn?
Meta and Google Ads, TikTok and LinkedIn campaign tools, Google Analytics 4, Meta Business Suite, ChatGPT and Claude for copy, and Canva, Figma and CapCut for creative.
(07)Is NQF Level 5 the same as a diploma?
No. NQF Level 5 is the level of a Higher Certificate; a diploma is Level 6. This is a Higher Occupational Certificate at Level 5, not a diploma or a degree.
(08)Will I get a job?
Zaio does not guarantee a job. You graduate with a national qualification and a campaign portfolio, and career services help with your CV and interviews.
(09)Who can apply?
NQF Level 4 qualification (Matric or equivalent) You apply online and an advisor will confirm you meet the entry rules before you enrol.
(10)How long does it take?
12 months, made up of part 1 (theory modules (runs with part 2, theory exam)), part 2 (practical training (workbook, observation and assessment)), part 3 (workplace modules (portfolio of evidence)), external integrated summative assessment (eisa) ().
(11)What do I graduate with?
Higher Occupational Certificate: Advertiser, NQF Level 5 (SAQA ID 121447). Zaio is accredited by the QCTO, so the qualification is registered on the National Qualifications Framework.
(12)When does it start?
Applications close 16 Mar 2027 and the programme starts 23 Mar 2027.
(13)How do I apply?
choose a programme, apply online, speak to an advisor, secure your place. The application itself takes about five minutes.

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