The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is delighted to announce it has partnered with Media Trust, a charity dedicated to giving marginalised groups and young people a stronger voice by bridging the gap between the media and creative industries and broader society.
The partnership includes 50 free CIPR student memberships – which provides access to the CIPR Student Mentoring Scheme – to those on Media Trust’s ‘Creativity Works’ training programme and Emerging Leaders Network. The CIPR has also committed to sharing expert advice and information in the form of resources and speakers to support the charity’s existing workshops and training, and promoting their Volunteer Platform which provides charitable organisations with a platform to request help from expert media and creative professionals.
We are incredibly grateful to the CIPR for offering free student membership to all of our youth programme alumni. At Media Trust, we work in partnership with the media and creative industry to give marginalised groups and young people a stronger voice while helping the media sector to be more responsible and representative. Our youth programmes are giving hundreds of young people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds the creative digital media skills, access, and confidence to follow their dreams. Collaborations such as this help us achieve our goal, giving our young people access to expert-led training that really responds to industry needs.
Su-Mei Thompson, CEO, Media Trust
We are proud to support the important work of Media Trust through this partnership. Our membership offer and expert support will broaden the understanding of public relations, champion the role we play in society, and inspire the next generation of future leaders looking to break into the creative and media industries with the skills they need to succeed.
Media Trust’s work with underrepresented and diverse groups gives us the opportunity to address the very real concerns we have around the lack of social mobility and diversity within the PR profession. I look forward to this partnership developing as we look to future-proof the profession and build our community at a time of great change and uncertainty.CIPR President, Mandy Pearse Chart PR, FCIPR
CIPR’s State of the Profession report in 2019 found more than a quarter of those (28%) working in public relations attended a fee-paying school – four times higher than the national UK average (7%). It also reported that privately educated PR Professionals secure more senior roles and earn an average of £13,000 more per year than state-educated colleagues.
Our most recent survey found only one in ten PR professionals come from a BAME background.
