Diploma of Digital Marketing
Nationally recognised qualification
Diploma of Digital Marketing
The Diploma of Digital Marketing is a practical qualification designed to equip learners with the skills, experience, and work portfolio that employers desire in an aspiring digital marketing professional. Designed to provide actual hands-on experience across a broad range of areas, including content marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), social media marketing, and Google Analytics.
MKTG599NAT
12Months
Online-Synchronous(live)
Schedule: Park-time 3 hours, 2x weeks
Certification : Diploma (AQF5); Micro-credential
Start Date: 07/01/2026
$16,000
$18,000
Early Bird Offer : Save $2,000
Diploma and Micro-credentials Signal Passion and Commitment to Employers
The Diploma of Digital Marketing is the only nationally recognised qualification for digital marketing skills in the workplace. Completing this Diploma also earns you FIVE highly sought-after industry micro-credentials, including: Content Marketing Micro-credentials, SEO & Search Engine Marketing Micro-credentials OR Social Media Marketing Micro-credentials, Marketing Analytics Micro-credentials, Google Analytics certification, Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate OR Meta (Facebook) Certified Digital Marketing Associate. All our certificates and credentials can be proudly displayed on your LinkedIn profile to showcase to employers that you have both the initiative and fundamental knowledge and skills to start working in marketing.
Designed by a nationally accredited training organisation for the workplace
This Diploma course is not just any ordinary self-paced online course with recorded videos and simple quizzes. It is approved by the Australian Skills Quality Authority because it was designed and taught by industry professionals to train learners for the workplace, equipping them with the knowledge and skills that it took them years to develop. This means that this course will require you to create the same content and campaigns that they would at work. Learners can be reassured that the quality of this course adheres to the latest and highest standards of vocational education and training in Australia.
Professional industry micro-credentials highly sought after by employers
Micro-credentials are a certified short course or badge for a specific set of skills that can be completed quickly without committing to a full degree. It is often used for quick upskilling and to strengthen a CV, especially when a degree no longer provides differentiation. Employers value micro-credentials as a candidate’s commitment to professional development. Check out our list of micro-credential courses here.
Real-world knowledge, skills, campaigns worth 6 months of work experience
This Diploma course requires learners to observe our trainer’s demonstration of real-world tasks, then replicate it on actual case studies, websites, and advertising campaigns. Learners’ content and advertising campaigns will be published and the learner reviews and optimises its performance; all of which, contributes towards a professional portfolio and a level of confidence that is earned only from actual experience. This is the work typically done by marketing professionals in the first six to nine months of their career.
- Marketing professionals with certifications earn 43% more than those without (Robert Half Salary Survey).
- Marketing and creative roles salary growth outpaces the average (Robert Half Salary Survey).
- 87% of employers are more likely to hire canddiates with a digital marketing certification (DMI CMO Survey).
Train With Industry Experts Who Can 'Walk The Talk'
Next Level Academy’s Trainers and Assessors are selected only if they have current and relevant work experience in the course content. Many of them have also hired, managed, and mentored early-career professionals; so their focus in training is 100% on developing the knowledge and skills to improve performance in the workplace. Many of them are also certified Workplace Mentors, under the supervision of a nationally certified Trainer and Assessor.
Kenneth Yap
Lead Trainer & Assessor
Kenneth Yap’s marketing career spans nearly 30 years, with both client-side and agency experience across several countries including Australia, United States, Malaysia, and Singapore. He has led projects and teams in market research, brand strategy, new product development, e-commerce, and retail marketing. His training and mentoring approach is demonstrative, pragmatic, detail-oriented; and believes that the best learning comes from mistakes and failures. He is a nationally certified Trainer and Assessor.
Nishanth Lakshmanantham
Specialist Trainer & Assessor
Nish founded and runs Zlick Digital, a digital marketing agency based in Perth that specialises in web design, SEO, and Google Ads. An engineer by training, he specialises in SEO strategy and Google Analytics because of its clear link to leads and sales. His training and mentoring approach is systematic and big-picture thinking; and he believes that good marketing starts with sound commercial thinking. He is a certified Workplace Mentor.
Mojib Temuri
Trainer & Assessor
Mojib is enthusiastic and passionate about anything to do with digital marketing. He is currently the Marketing Coordinator for a landscaping company, giving him specialised experience in e-commerce, SEO, and B2B marketing. His training and mentoring approach is friendly, learner-centric, and hands-on; and he believes that the most important marketing trait is a curiosity about the customer persona. He is a certified Workplace Mentor.
Testimonal
What Learners Are Saying About Our Course
This course is worth the money because it’s an actual trainer running the online course and demonstrating how to run a campaign, instead of just pre-recorded videos and quizzes.
You will DEFINITELY learn a lot from this course, but be prepare.it’s intense because you actually have to do the work during the sessions. Trust me, this is not one of those online classes where you can just leave it on and walk away.
I should have done the diploma instead of uni! After 3 years at uni majoring in marketing, I didn’t learn anything useful and wasn’t confident in applying for jobs. But after just one year in this course, I learned so much and I even scored an internship from this. Thanks!
Our Learner's Experience With Us
Watch a preview of what some of our learners and graduates have to say about their experience training with us.
98% of our learners agree that the training develops skills to make them more employable (NLA Learner Survey).
88% of graduates from our Certification courses have either secured an internship, job, or promotion in the area of training (NLA Graduate Survey)
NEXT COURSE TABLE
| Course | Course detail |
|---|---|
|
Course Code |
MKTG599NATONL2026X1 |
|
Course Location |
Online |
|
Course Mode |
Online Synchronous Live |
|
Course Workload |
20 hours/week |
|
Course Schedule |
Part-time; 3 hours; 2x week |
|
Course Start Date |
1/7/2026 |
TRAINING EXPERIENCE PREVIEW
Our Training Philosophy and Experience
Watch how we approach training and assessment by starting with the end in mind. Training courses are developed with only one thing in mind: preparing our graduates to succeed in the workplace. Our Course Designers are not just practitioners and employers in marketing, but they also work with industry experts to design the course with all the necessary knowledge and skills required for that role, and only those things, and nothing else to waste your time. Our Trainers and Assessors are nationally accredited mentors with real-world experience and expertise in their areas of training.
All of our training courses share the same formula and sequence, which consists of the following steps:
- Key concepts of the training course are introduced and accompanied by context of the bigger picture.
- All the knowledge and skills for the training course are listed and explained.
- Learners are shown what best practices and a good finished product looks like.
- Learners are assessed on their understanding and accompanied by trainer feedback.
- Trainer performs the skills in a demonstration while explaining the process and answering learners’ questions.
- Learners replicate the demonstration with guidance from the trainer.
- Finally, learners are assessed on their performance and evidence of their skill and accompanied by trainer feedback.
Download a sample lesson plan here to see how training works at Next Level Academy.
Download a sample assessment task to see how assessments work at Next Level Academy.
Start Your Professional Portfolio Here
Our courses are designed to showcase your skills and hard work to employers through a portfolio of marketing plans, creative work, and advertising campaigns that will differentiate you from other job candidates
Customer Persona
Content Marketing Plan
Paid Search PPC Campaign
Paid Social Media Marketing Advertising Campaign
Email Marketing EDM Campaign
Power-Ups For Your CV
The Diploma course offers a nationally recognised qualification, professional accreditation, and professional and industry micro-credentials that you can showcase in your CV and LinkedIn profile
Diploma Certificate
Certified Digital Marketing Professiona
Micro-credential in SEO and SEM
Official Statement of Attainment
Digital Badge for LinkedIn
Take a look at how our graduates present their skills and experience on their CV
Supporting Our Graduates to Get Jobs
At Next Level Academy, we put our support staff in charge of Customer Success because we believe that your success in the workplace is our primary measure of success. We want to build a reputation among employers as the industry’s best trainers of talent. All learners in our certification courses have access to mentors, support, and resources to craft your point-of-difference in the job market.
Internships and Work Placements
Our Customer Success team negotiates marketing internships and work placements with potential employers and other organisations, and make them available for our learners and graduates to apply. The process is competitive and rigorous to ensure both the intern and client organisation match up well and get the most out of the arrangement.
Skill Audit and Job Search Strategy
Our Customer Success team also work with recruiters and employers to keep up with the latest trends and development in the job market. They help course designers understand the demand for both the core and newest skills, which shape the continuous improvement of our training courses. This catalogue of job roles and requirements help us design accurate tools for skill assessments and job search strategies. Professional development and personal branding are baked into all of our certification courses.
Industry Events and Networking
Every quarter, we host an informal event for our learners and graduates to meet industry practitioners; many of whom are not only looking out for new talent to hire, but are also willing to mentor early-career professionals. Every year, we organise a more formal job fair event where recruiters and employers can meet our latest graduates, watch their final presentations, or judge hackathons.
Course Entry Requirements
Marketing is an important organisational function with both top-line and bottom-line responsibilities; therefore, this Diploma course is both rigorous and intensive and admission is selective, where candidates have to meet the following minimum requirements before their application can be assessed for the desired requirements. These requirements also ensure that learners will be supported by their peers of equal calibre. If you do not meet the Minimum Course Requirements #4 or #5, please contact us to arrange for a Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LLN) Assessment upon application. The minimum LLN requirements for a AQF Level 5 course is ACSF Level 3.
Minimum
1
Be over 17 years of age AND a completed Year 12 secondary education qualification or Certificate IV (AQF4) qualification in business or related field, OR Be over 16 years of age AND with a forecast ATAR of 90, OR Be over 25 years of age AND three years of relevant post-secondary work experienc
2
Be an Australian citizen or resident, or graduate or training visa holder.
3
Have access to an internet-connected computer with a microphone and camera to complete training and assessment activities
4
Be fluent in written and verbal English ( 80 or higher in ATAR English, Literature, or EAL or equivalent of IELTS of at least 6.5, with at least a 6.0 in each component
5
Be numerate in mathematics (minimum pass for Year 12 Mathematical Methods, OR equivalent of C for Mathematics GCE A-Levels Mathematics, OR 5 for Mathematics SL IB)
Desired
1
Have successfully completed in the past 18 months, at least 1 year of post-secondary or tertiary studies (AQF4 or higher) in business or related field.
2
Have at least 1 year of full-time work experience in business or related field
3
Demonstrate interest in sales, marketing, design, media, communication or persuasion as evidenced in the creation of written or multimedia content, including photography, video, graphic design, newsletters, blogs or vlogs, social media content, etc.
4
Currently in a sales or marketing role, at least part-time (paid or voluntary).
5
Demonstrate a track record of self-improvement or professional development as evidenced in any volunteering work, internships, completed online courses, hobbyist work, etc.
Selection Criteria and Process
After your application is deemed eligible, you will be required to attend a pre-enrolment interview and complete a pre-enrolment survey, which includes a written component. If you have arranged for a LLN assessment, you may complete it in the same seating. Applications will be assessed primarily on the pre-enrolment interview and survey, then the extent to which it fulfills the desired course requirements.
1
If you made an application for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), you will be required to attend a RPL candidate interview, prior to the commencement of the RPL assessment. If you made an application for Credit Transfer, you will still be required to attend a pre-enrolment interview.
2
Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application, and will then submit a learner profile to better understand their learning style and preferences, as well as, any particular needs for flexible or adjusted learning.
3
As a condition of enrolment, candidates have to agree to a minimum attendance rate of 80% to qualify for course completion.
PRIOR LEARNING & CREDIT
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) & Credit Transfers
Learn more
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment of skills and knowledge you’ve acquired through previous training, work or life experience which are relevant to this course. RPL allows Next Level Academy to assess your existing competency against the requirements of this course for EACH Unit of Competency. The RPL assessment process is rigorous and you will need to supply evidence to prove your knowledge and skills. We will assess the evidence to decide if further training or assessment is required. You may be granted part or all of a Unit of Competency by RPL.
Learn more
Credit transfer is recognition that you’ve previously completed a unit of your course through VET or higher education. To receive a credit transfer for a unit you must provide formal evidence that you’ve previously completed the unit or a unit which matches in content and outcome. Formal evidence can be a qualification certificate or transcript, statement of attainment or your USI transcript. When credit is recognised, you don’t need to repeat training or assessment for that unit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Course Eligibility, Application, and Enrolment
What are the course eligibility requirements?
This course has minimum and desired course requirements, which can be found in the Course Entry Requirements section. Minimum course requirements have to met before the application can be assesed for desired course requirements. The minimum course requirements are:
(1) Be over 17 years of age AND a completed Year 12 secondary education qualification or Certificate IV (AQF4) qualification in business or related field, OR Be over 16 years of age AND with a forecast ATAR of 90, OR Be over 25 years of age AND three years of relevant post-secondary work experience (no minimum education required); AND
(2) Be an Australian citizen or resident, or graduate or training visaholder; AND
(3) Have access to an internet-connected computer with a microphone and camera to complete training and assessment activities; AND
(4) Be fluent in written and verbal English ( 80 or higher in ATAR English, Literature, or EAL or equivalent of IELTS of at least 6.5, with at least a 6.0 in each component); AND
(5) Be numerate in mathematics (minimum pass for Year 12 Mathematical Methods, OR equivalent of C for Mathematics GCE A-Levels Mathematics, OR 5 for Mathematics SL IB).
How can I submit a course application?
Please contact us on info@thenextlevelacademy.com.au to obtain a course application form. If you are still unsure about applying, we are happy to speak to you about your interests and training needs, and find the perfect course for you.
How will I know if my application has been processed?
You will receive an email and/or SMS to confirm the receipt and the processing of your application, then another one to notify you of the outcome of your application and next steps. Application processing usually takes 12-24 hours.
Course Delivery and Learner Experience
Is this an online course?
In addition to our physical, in-class training courses in all major cities, we have an online delivery of this course; however, it is an online synchronous class, which means that there is an actual trainer live in an online classroom environment with pre-scheduled start and end times. The online classroom is meant to simulate the environment of a physical classroom, but at the convenience of your own home. Every online class session is very practical, where the trainer will perform actual workplace tasks and skills as a demonstration, which the learner will have to replicate online in that very session, so that our trainer can observe your work and provide feedback. This is not a self-paced, self-learning online course with pre-recorded videos and quizzes because we don’t think that is the best way to learn or build skills.
What do I do if I can't attend a class?
All of our certification courses have a minimum attendance rate of 80% as a condition of completion; however, we completely understand when you can’t attend one or two classes. For online classes, every session is recorded, so you can catch up through the recording of the missed class; however, you will need to arrange a follow-up online session with your trainer or assessor, so that they can observe your work on the practical activties and provide feedback. For physical in-class sessions, every session is also screen- and voice-recorded is broadcast live online and recorded, so you can catch up through the recoding of the missed class. Similarly, you will also need to arrange a follow-up online or physical session with your trainer or assessor for your work on the class’ practical activities. All of our courses have online and downloadable training material and resources to help you catch up.
What do I do if I have questions after class or have problems keep up with the pace of the course?
Your first point of contact is your trainer, who is more than happy to answer any course-related content and act as a professional mentor for all learners. They are experienced and certified mentors and trainers who are pretty good at solving problems about the course, even if it means the occasional follow-up or supplementary class session. As long as it it does not compromise the unit or course training outcomes, reasonable adjustments can be made to the assessment tasks, and changes to assessment timing and deadlines can be negotiated. If there are any learning needs or gaps in LLN, then the best point of contact is your designated Customer Success staff member, who can arrange the learning support necessary for you to complete the course successsfully.
Course Assessment
Does the course have any exams?
No, the course is a practical training course, accredited under Australia’s national Vocational Education and Training (VET) framework; therefore, it doesn’t have exams typical of high school or university. There are assessment tasks, which cover very specific areas of knowledge and skill, which in turn, are definitely covered in the training material and class session. These assessment tasks are mostly simulate the performance of workplace skills, but may occasionally, involve quizzes to assess the requisite knowledge to correctly perform these skills. These are designed as a specific knowledge check to provide you with formative feedback prior to performing a task; and definitely not designed to be a scary end-of-term exam that you have to cram for!
What do I do if I miss an assessment or miss an assessment deadline?
Don’t worry, all you have to do is to let your trainer know that you have (or are likely to) missed an assessment or a deadline, and you can negotiate an extension prior to the course completion date. It is important to note that you have to pass all assessments to pass a unit or course and receive a Statement of Attainment and qualification.
What do I do if I fail an assessment task?
Don’t worry, your trainer will be able to provide useful feedback and a second attempt at the assessment task. If you require a third attempt, then you will have to contact your designated Customer Success staff member to authorise it. Every assessment task is covered and supported in the training material, class sessions, and demonstrations by your trainer, along with class recordings and supplementary course resources. Every assessment task also has clear instructions and assessment criteria and standards. From the outset, your trainer will explain the instructions for every assessment task and answer any learners’ questions. You may also refer to our Learner Handbook and Assessment Policy for further information, which can also be explained to you by your designated Customer Service staff member.
Course Fees and Payment
How much are the course fees?
The course fees are on the course page of the website. The course fees are fixed; however, learners may, and often do, receive discounts and rebates on the course fees. Currently, our courses do not offer VET Student Loans (VSL), VET FEE-HELP, or any government subsidies. The value of our course fees is determined by the market’s demand for unique, high-quality training courses that improve learners’ skills and employability in a way that TAFE, universities, and online self-paced courses cannot.
What are payment options for the course?
Course fees will need to be paid in full prior to enrolment, which can either be done via bank transfer, debit/credit card, or pay later providers. Our pay later provider allows learners to split the course fee into fortnightly or monthly interest-free installments
Can I get a refund for the course if I withdraw?
Every unit in all of our certification courses has a withdrawal date, and if you withdraw from the unit or course before the withdrawal date, you are entitled to a 100% refund of the course fee and 50% of the resource fee. For further information about cancellations, withdrawals, suspensions, and refunds, you may refer to our Refund Policy or speak to your designated Customer Success staff member.
Learner Support and Services
What support or services do you provide for your students?
Next Level Academy and its courses are focused on equipping our learners and graduates with a competitive advantage in the job market and in the workplace. This means that our Customer Success team will provide learners and graduates the service, information, resources, and networking opportunities to leverage that advantage. Towards or upon course completion, learners and graduates can access these career support services to find internships and work placements, conduct skill audits, develop effective job search strategies, CVs, LinkedIn profiles, and interview techniques, as well as, find and attend industry networking events. During the course, learners can also access learning support services to get help on closing any gaps in language, literacy, and numeracy (LLN) skills required to complete the course. Learners can also speak to course trainers to discuss possible reasonable adjustments to the assessment tasks
Will I get a job after finishing the course?
Completing our certification course will give you the knowledge, skills, and experience that employers want, which most other job applicants do not possess; however, it does not guarantee a job because employers also look for generic skills, personality traits, and cultural or personal fit with the organisation. A good representation of relevant knowledge, skills, and experience, along with micro-credentials, and internships may tip the balance in your favour, but we encourage our learners and graduates to work closely with their designated Customer Success team member to identify any other gaps or red flags in the job search and interviewing process. We also maximise your opportunities to meet with recruiters and potential employers by linking them to our training courses and industry events. In short, completing a course with Next Level Academy does not guarantee a job, but we aim to get pretty close!
Can I still use your support or services after I graduate?
Yes, you can! Graduates of our certification courses can join our Alumni network of professionals and can access most of our career support services for free, even 12 months after they graduate. Additional fees may apply for other services and events such as industry networking events. You will also have free, unlimited access to our course material, resources, and micro-credentials for three years after graduation. Next Level Academy graduates also enjoy an Alumni discount on all of our other courses.