NI Students are the most likely to consider a career in public relations, compared with their counterparts across the UK, according to the latest study.
The study of 1,200 16- to 18-year-old students, by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), showed local young people shying away from traditional professions, such as medicine and law, and moving towards growing sectors including media and public relations.
Gary McKeown,chair of the CIPR in Northern Ireland, said: “Young people in Northern Ireland see PR as a real career option, which is great news for the profession. The CIPR is dedicated to encouraging students to think of PR as a profession, and we currently have over 100 student members in Northern Ireland.
“Even if people don’t choose to pursue a PR qualification at university, it is still a career option further down the line, as such a wide range of skills are required to be a good communicator.
“Often those who have done degrees such as law, politics, English, business or journalism decide to move into PR when they enter the world of work as it offers a fast-paced and creative career. There are also those who have no higher level qualifications who find a career in PR matches their skills.”
In the CIPR report entitled Future perspectives NI students proved more likely than the total UK student population to consider a career in public relations, expressing a greater level of familiarity with the profession and a more positive view of what a career in public relations would offer. Nineteen percent of students here were considering entering the public relations profession – a much higher number than the 7% recorded in the South of England, 8% in the Midlands and 3% in Wales.
The report also showed that family influence ranked highly on the agenda locally, with over 80% of students saying their families had a notable influence on their career decisions. This was well above the influence of teachers and friends, which only 54% of respondents felt was key in their decision making process.
Also for the majority of students here, the preferred method of communication in aiding career choice was face to face communication.
CIPR members across Northern Ireland are now being encouraged to increase engagement with students to highlight the benefits and exciting opportunities available within the public relations industry.