Being professional
Being professional
17 February 2015
The call for a focus on professionalism was loud and clear when I attended my first CIPR Council meeting last week. Not very surprising as we celebrate ten years of Chartered status this year but I was impressed how Council members referred to it time and again in different contexts.
It’s great to be able to say that all members of the CIPR Council are undertaking continuing professional development (CPD), no matter what their level of experience or seniority. The next step is to ensure those who serve on our regional and sectoral committees are also signed up to CPD.
The state of the profession survey due out shortly will highlight the concern that CIPR members have around the need for public relations professionals to be seen in the same context as accountants and lawyers. This can only be achieved by ensuring both employers and clients recognize the distinction between those who are MCIPR, deliver professional services and are undertaking CPD and those who “do public relations”.
Would you trust someone who has done “a bit of bookkeeping” with your company finances? We need to make people query why you would entrust your corporate reputation to someone who has worked in the media, managed a few events or got a great following on social media but who has not signed up to a code of conduct, to continuous learning and reached a professional standard of practice.
I was heartened to see that 2014/15 has the highest numbers ever of members signed up for and completing CPD. Reflecting on practice across the EU and other professions it was noted that some membership bodies make completion of CPD a condition of membership.
We also launched the CIPR manifesto calling for the next UK government to do seven key things. I was especially pleased to see in this document the call to make all training tax deductible, which would make a real difference to supporting our independent practitioners and small PR businesses in their professional development.
So my aims for 2015 are to:
★encourage as many CIPR members as possible to sign up for CPD
★identify and remove the barriers which prevent public sector communicators from undertaking their CPD
★challenge business and public bodies to look for MCIPR as a badge of quality when seeking public relations advice
★encourage my clients to ask for evidence of membership of a professional body and CPD when writing job specifications and recruiting to roles
I am the only Council member based in the South West and I was elected to provide a voice for the public sector.
I’m keen to hear the views of PR professionals working in the South West and in public services so please if you have an issue you want raised email me, DM @i_seashell or message via Facebook
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