The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has pledged £50,000 towards PRCA membership and training fees to alumni of the Taylor Bennett Foundation’s new summer internship scheme.
The Summer Stars scheme sees 35 black, Asian, and minority ethnic students and graduates complete a week of lectures at the London College of Communication, followed by a minimum of four weeks on a paid PR work placement. A number of high profile corporate firms and PR agencies have signed up to take part in the programme, including Facebook, Barclays, British Airways Porter Novelli, Brunswick, Text 100, and The Academy.
Francis Ingham MPRCA, Director General, PRCA, said: “We’re delighted to offer the alumni of the Foundation’s Summer Stars scheme the opportunity to benefit from the £50,000 of funding we have set aside for them to access PRCA membership and training. We are constantly striving to improve diversity within the PR industry, and this offer will give the interns access to industry renowned talent and resources to help them progress their careers further. As our charity of the year, I implore members to be generous with their time and knowledge when it comes to the Taylor Bennett Foundation.”
Sarah Stimson, Chief Executive, Taylor Bennett Foundation, said: “This is an incredibly generous offer from the PRCA, which continues to be a huge supporter of the Foundation and of taking practical action to improve ethnic diversity in the communications industry. The interns will benefit enormously from access to membership and training and are very excited about starting their career journey in communications. The Summer Stars programme has been designed to encourage more BAME students and graduates to consider communications as a viable career choice and we hope the combination of training and practical work experience will be instrumental in opening up PR job opportunities at entry level to people from more diverse backgrounds.”
