"I have really enjoyed doing the CIPR Professional Diploma at the PR Academy this year. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience and one that I would highly recommend to PR practitioners looking to grow and take the next step in their career.
Having previously completed the Advanced Certificate in Public Relations,* I had a good background coming into the course but I was a little sceptical – I was hoping for a sharper focus on practical skills rather than communication theory. Immediately, it was clear that this was the objective of the revised course and it worked really well. I felt the assignments had practical value and I could use them to focus on an issue relating to my work and share with my employers. I much preferred the onus being on applying theory to support a real life, live PR issue than just discussing theory on its own. This has been a distinct and welcome shift in direction.
I have always enjoyed the discussions the classes throw up and hearing the views of practitioners working across industries and professions. That to me has always been one of the best things about the face-to-face courses. A special note of thanks must go to our course leader Chris Tucker whose presentation style was engaging and enthusiastic. She was excellent in facilitating discussions in a way that aided our learning, stayed focused on the topic, related to current affairs and provided plenty of helpful anecdotes from her own experience!
The course has really helped to shape my thinking in a much more strategic way looking at the overall picture and understanding why we undertake particular PR campaigns and activities and be able to challenge the business about its communication goals, as well as providing recommendations. With the increased knowledge and confidence gained from the course I have also been able to secure a new job recently too."
*The CIPR Advanced Certificate is now the Professional PR Certificate following a relaunch with a revised syllabus and assignments in July 2017.