Global prestige for public relations graduates

"We are extremely proud to offer a curriculum in South Africa that meets the high standards of the profession in Europe. This means our students are acquiring skills that meet the challenges of the public relations industry in the world today," says Maritha Pritchard, Prisa Education & Training Centre Academic Manager.

The Centre's three year diploma was developed on the feedback and evaluation of an extensive local and international skills gap analysis. The qualification is further benchmarked with the Global Alliance of Public Relations and Communication Management and the vocational standards of New Zealand and the UK.

The outcomes-based qualification strongly rests on practical real life assignments and experiential training in line with the Department of Labour's vocational training policy. This includes a full spectrum of public relations functions including media relations, understanding and writing for the print and electronic media, management, industrial relations, political communication, health communication, international communication, crisis communication, public relations in the areas of the non-profit sector, leisure industry, special events and public affairs. Learners further benefit from their membership to the South African professional body, PRISA, the Public Relations Institute of Communication Management.

PRISA and the IPR UK are founding members of the Global Alliance, which serves as an international best practice platform for public relations and communication management associations representing nearly 160 000 registered practitioners world wide.

The IPR UK is committed to a range of world leading policies, recommendations and services to promote excellence in the public relations profession. Members adhere to a Code of Conduct which reflects their commitment to integrity and high standards of practice. The IPR and PRISA have a mutual membership recognition agreement which gives members global mobility.

Approval for the PRISA Education & Training Centre's qualifications is done every three years by the IPR UK. To meet contemporary changes in the public relations industry and outcomes based education requirements, the Centre restructured the curriculum in 2001. The new curriculum was approved by the IPR in July for the second time.

The PRISA Education & Training Centre's Higher Certificate and Diploma in Public Relations are registered on the National Qualifications Framework and the Centre is provisionally registered by the Department of Education.

For more information, visit the Centre's website at www.petc.co.za or www.ipr.org.uk. Or contact the Academic Manager at (011) 326 1262.