Portsmouth, NH – September 19 – The National Institute for Social Media (NISM), the first and only organization to offer a standardized, vendor-neutral industry certification around the discipline of social media, today announced it has established a partnership with Great Bay Community College(GBCC).

Under the partnership, students in the Seacoast New Hampshire area can now choose to enroll in the NISM certification preparation course as a GBCC open enrollment course.

Beginning on October 1, GBCC will host the NISM “Social Media Strategist Certification Training” course.  It runs for five weeks, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 5:30 – 8:30pm at the Portsmouth campus.

“From a business perspective, establishing a presence in social media channels is important.   We’ve learned that leveraging social media tools for maximum organizational impact requires a deep and thorough knowledge of applicable strategies and tactics – in addition to the tools themselves.” said Eric Mills, president of NISM. “This premise led us to launch the National Institute for Social Media in 2011 with a mission to provide social media practitioners with a vendor-neutral certification credential. This partnership underscores the need in the market today for educated, credentialed professionals who can use social media to drive real and measurable business value.”

“This is a highly sought-after program by professionals in a variety of industries.  It goes beyond the technical aspects and focuses on using social media in PR and marketing campaigns,” said Kathleen Totten, Director of Community Education.  “We are very pleased to be partnering with NIMS to offer this comprehensive course to the marketing and PR professionals in the region as well as small business owners looking to enhance their promotional strategies.”

The NISM Social Media Strategist (SMS) certification exam validates the foundational skills required of professionals using social media. To achieve certification as a Social Media Strategist, participants who complete the preparatory course will be required to apply for, and pass a certification exam covering the six primary content domains of general practitioners in social media: strategic planning; compliance and governance; social media marketing; project and campaign management; community management; and research and analysis.  Certified professionals will have demonstrated at least minimum levels of comprehension of essential social media best practices, and are able to apply them on the job with a marginal level of supervision.

ABOUT GREAT BAY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Great Bay Community College is a comprehensive postsecondary institution with campuses in Portsmouth and Rochester, New Hampshire offering quality academic and professional and technical education in support of workforce development and lifelong learning.  The colleges offer associate and certificate degrees and career training in technical, professional and general fields, including transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees.  Great Bay Community College provides an affordable and accessible educational experience responsive to the diverse needs of an ever changing economy and community.  Great Bay Community College is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, a public system of higher education consisting of seven colleges in Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth.  For more information on Great Bay Community College, visit www.greatbay.edu.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

The National Institute for Social Media (NISM) is dedicated to social media education and certification for professional social media practitioners. The organization’s mission is to provide premier, vendor-neutral public education and resources related to social media. In addition, its Industry Advisory Committee defines and supports certification and continuing education standards for social media professionals in a manner that upholds industry standards for competent practice. For additional information, call 763-200-6476 or visit www.nismonline.org.

PR Contact:

Jennifer Radke
763-200-6199
[email protected]