Tag Archive for Apprenticeship

Are apprenticeships a threat to PR degrees?

13 December 2011 Rachel Education, Employability, Featured, Interests, News, Public Relations 5 comments
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I am an advocate of apprenticeship schemes and believe that the introduction of PR apprentice schemes can only be beneficial for the industry. It would seem I am not the only fan with this year’s PRWeek census reporting 94% of agency MDs wanting such a scheme and a staggering 92% saying they would consider employing an apprentice.

They are completely right in their thinking, apprenticeship schemes enable organisations to employ low cost workers and train them to be suit the needs of an organisation, this is instead of paying for a more expensive graduate from university who will still need to adapt to your organisation.

It is also a very appealing option for young people with the PRCA in partnership with Pearson in Practice working on plan to provide three-year long on-the-job training, qualifications and work experience to non-graduates from diverse backgrounds. This offers an entry route into a PR career to individuals with the skills and passion required in the industry but who otherwise may not have been able to afford a degree at the increased price.

With the option of an apprenticeship the length of a standard PR degree it makes university seem a dramatically less appealing option. With the choice of being paid to gain the skills and experience the industry demands or amassing considerable debt to obtain a degree with which you may still be unemployable, the better option should be obvious.

Is this a threat to PR degrees then? There are a number of very well designed, developed and respected PR degree courses in the UK and I highly doubt that an apprenticeship scheme would kill these off, however I do think it is important for degree courses to ensure that they are offering students employability skills, particularly in light of Marshall Manson’s recent comments on PR degrees.

Another issue is how current PR undergraduates should react, should we be concerned? Perhaps, apprentices are initially significantly cheaper with the advantage of learning organisation specific skills. This should simply encourage undergraduates to work harder to gain a range of transferable skills which can be utilised over a number of organisations.

Overall I think this is another important development in the PR industry. Many PR professionals are former journalists, but with journalism being an increasingly difficult career path younger PR professionals come from different routes such as studying PR as their main discipline or graduate schemes. Apprenticeships are simply another development in entry routes into the PR industry, and one I would say is very positive.

What is your opinion on PR apprenticeships? Do they pose a threat to the PR degree?

Wordle: PR Apprenticeships

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Not going to uni?

25 August 2011 Rachel Career, Education One comment
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Many teenagers and their parents suffered a sleepless night last night in anticipation of GCSE results today; this includes my own parents and sister (who did very well). Undoubtedly this is an exciting time in their lives, leaving school and experiencing the opportunities opening to them, but it is also a scary time. These GCSE students are facing the new higher tuition fees and could find themselves in £50,000 debt on graduation. Try telling a 16 year old that in five years they will owe someone that much money, it is extremely scary.

Due to the high fees we may well see students look at alternative entry routes to their desired careers which is possibly a good change. Too much have we relied on a one size fits all higher education system leaving some graduates near unemployable, lacking key skills and experience required. This does not mean university is not a fantastic option, for many careers it is the only entry route and can give students a huge amount of skills, contacts and experience but it should not be treated as the only option.

I am a big fan of the service that Not Going To Uni offer. They provide students and their parents with alternatives to the traditional university path.

Three alternatives to going straight to university include:

  • Apprenticeships: I used to believe apprenticeships were only for careers such as construction and hairdressing. This is far from true and apprenticeships can offer entry into many careers from business administration to the care sector to creative industries. They make a fantastic alternative to further education providing apprentices with the skills and experience to be able to begin a career in an industry of their choice while also giving them money in their pocket. They work well for employers as well ensuring that they can train a worker to the specifications they require for their workplace. I hope that apprenticeship schemes continue to be developed and improve and that they become a popular alternative to formal education.
  • Gap year: There are many stereotypes of gap years however this is not always the reality. People take gap years for many reason; to travel, earn money or because they missed a place at their preferred university. I believe no matter what you do in this time they can be incredible experiences if you get the most out of them. There is time to earn some money, gain some work experience, develop key skills or travel the world and discover new cultures and customs. I know a lot of people who began a gap year with one career in mind and ended up working towards another. Personally it took me a couple of voluntary placements and a year’s employment to decide on the degree I wanted to study and for this reason I would never disregard a year or two out of education.
  • Employer funded degrees: I believe this is another fantastic alternative to traditional university education. Again this gives the employer the opportunity to develop their workers to gain the skills required for the organisation. It can also give the employee peace of mind that they will not end up at the end of their degree with high debt while struggling to find a job.

For more information on alternatives to university visit the Not Going To Uni page.

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