As promotional products professionals juggle client demands, tight deadlines, and market uncertainties, it’s hard to stay ahead of competitors without honing their skills.

That’s one reason career-driven learning is a top motivator: 94% of employees stay with a company longer if it invests in career development.

PPAI responded to this need with its reimagined PPAI Advance professional development program. From foundational training to advanced leadership development, this platform offers learning that’s accessible, relevant and aligned with a changing marketplace to support role-specific growth.

“We rebuilt the program to match how professionals want to engage with content,” said Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS, PPAI’s senior manager of professional development.

Plan a Personal Learning Experience

PPAI Advance offers a highly personalized learning journey with a curriculum reflecting the range of responsibilities in the promo space.

There are role-based courses – from marketing to sales to sustainability, with more being added throughout the year – to ensure the Association is providing education for all roles within promo organizations. 

“We provide learning opportunities that speak to everyone, from someone brand-new to executives looking to refine their leadership approach,” Gibbons-Rauch said.

RELATED: PPAI Advance Enhances The Value Of Professional Education

In a business climate where 68% of employees say learning helps them adapt to change, a tailored platform like PPAI Advance helps pros stay nimble.

All PPAI Advance modules are self-paced to fit learners’ schedules. Courses can be filtered by job, subject or level, helping users find the best match for their role or aspirations.

Learning Tools That Grow With You

Investing time in a robust education platform like Advance can directly tie to promo profitability. Companies that encourage employees to take part in comprehensive training programs yield 218% higher income per employee and 24% higher profit margins, resulting in more productive and profitable teams.

PPAI Advance – home for the Association’s trusted certification programs: the Trained Advertising Specialist (TAS), Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) and Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) –  has a new design with a better user experience.

Instead of multiple logins, pros can access Advance with one sign-on via my.PPAI.org. While on the dashboard, a user can track progress across all enrolled courses.

Every piece of content, page layout and button are designed to remove friction and help members stay engaged.”

Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS,

Sr. Manager of Professional Development, PPAI

PPAI Advance’s course catalog is easier to navigate, with better search functionality and logical category groupings. Learners can quickly find new content and return to past sessions. When a user discovers a new course, they can select the course, add it to the cart, enroll and start learning.

MAS candidates receive more strategic content centered on leadership, foresight, business culture and high-level industry trends.

“Every piece of content, page layout and button is designed to remove friction and help members stay engaged,” Gibbons-Rauch said.

Professional Development Built For Modern Learners

While these tools support growth, the real innovation is how PPAI Advance functions for today’s learners.

Bite-sized courses make learning convenient and boost retention. After each video or recorded session, users can take quizzes with immediate results to reinforce core learning objectives.

Once a user completes a course, the system moves it from the dashboard to their personal transcript.

And PPAI has more to offer.

The Ease Of Universal CEUs

Perhaps the most transformative update is universal CEUs. In the past, learners navigated a confusing system of what counted and what didn’t.

The universal CEU system simplifies the process. Now, any qualifying learning experience contributes toward certification. That means learners spend more time focused on growth.

“You don’t have to wonder whether a session counts for CAS or MAS – it does,” Gibbons-Rauch said.

If you’re pursuing your CAS or MAS certification, you can earn CEUs by:

  • Attending live sessions at The PPAI Expo, Women’s Leadership Conference, Leadership Development Conference or webinars.
  • Taking on-demand or self-paced online courses.
  • Volunteering, speaking at events or contributing to the promo community.
  • Serving on PPAI committees or task forces.


If plans change, you can drop a course by selecting “request drop” on your dashboard. There’s no penalty for unenrolling, and users can rejoin later.

The Future Of Learning Starts Now

PPAI Advance’s learning platform is poised for growth, with new courses, certification levels and interactive experiences planned based on member feedback and industry trends.

It’s important to note that professional development courses take the burden off PPAI member companies of investing in onboarding and training as this is a member benefit at no charge.

“Our job is to make the path clear, modern and personalized,” Gibbons-Rauch said. “Your job is to keep showing up curious, motivated and open to what’s next.”