It’s that time of year again, the A Level results are out. Last week saw thousands of nervous teens huddled in corridors up and down the UK tentatively opening envelopes under the watchful eye of parents and friends alike.
Once again, this strikes up the debate of what is more valuable to these young adults looking to break into the world of public relations; going to university and studying for a PR degree or finding going straight into employment, potentially through a PR apprenticeship scheme?
In light of the tuition fee rises and saturation of jobless graduates, this question is more relevant than ever before.
Taking Bournemouth University’s highly regarded Public Relations course as an example, budding students hoping to make it onto the course needed to achieve 320 tariff points last week. That’s an equivalent to one A and two B grade A Levels in relevant subjects. Not only that, but they now need to find a way to pay the £9, 000 annual cost of the four year course. Whether the money comes from savings, their parents or the ever-present Student Loans Company, it’s a large expense and potential debt to take on at such a young age.
In comparison, PR apprenticeships are a relatively new creation in the UK and are championed by industry body the PRCA. These schemes tend to last 12-18 months with varying salary figures. In the majority, to take part in one of these apprenticeships it helps if you’re based in the south of England. At the end of a ‘student’s’ time at whichever agency they end up at, they’ll receive a qualification.
At face value it would seem that the answer is clear, you get paid and the ‘study period’, so to speak, takes only a quarter of the time of a degree? Surely PR apprenticeships are the way forward! Unfortunately, as with most things in life, it just isn’t that simple.
So there’s debt but there’s also a lot to be gained from studying a degree. For example, one of the four years of Bournemouth University’s Public Relations course is a placement year, where students put themselves in a real workplace environment – just as you would in an apprenticeship scheme. The rest of the time students spend studying various factors of the industry in immense depth; areas such as campaigns, advertising and marketing integration, reputation management and digital communications. Aside from the academic achievement, undergraduates gain valuable life experience during their time at university – it sounds like a cliché but it’s a fact – and this can benefit them in their future independent working lives.
Tom Watson, Professor of Public Relations at Bournemouth University’s Media School, believes that both career pathways share great merit but perhaps the emergence of apprenticeships may help to make PR more accessible: “There’s strong demand for graduates with PR degrees. Agencies and in-house teams are always asking us for recommendations and references. They are looking for able, well-educated and PR-savvy entrants to the industry. Interest has been growing for over 20 years and, even though there occasional flat spots, the PR degree is here to stay.
“Apprenticeships are the PR industry’s opportunity to recruit a more diverse workforce, especially amongst those groups who aren’t well represented. Universities try very hard to attract students from non-typical backgrounds but degree studies are often seen as too big a challenge, socially and financially. Apprenticeships may help break the barriers.”
Francis Ingham, PRCA Chief Executive, agrees that the growth of the industry is the important matter and that the way students break into PR is fairly irrelevant: “A PR apprenticeship or a PR degree? Providing the PR industry continues to grow, and continues to attract the brightest and most talented applicants, I don’t think we need to worry about which route people take.
“The PR industry prides itself on its creativity and confidence, and to ensure this remains we must continue to improve access and diversity. Exactly what opening another route will achieve.”
It appears that both routes have their advantages and disadvantages, both financially and academically. Perhaps it purely depends on the individual as to how they learn and take on new skills. If they thrive by studying, a degree may be preferable. If they flourish when thrown directly into a working situation, an apprenticeship might be the best option. Aside from any differences between the two pathways, they share one common positive factor more vital than the rest; they are helping the public relations industry to expand and develop with an influx of enthusiastic up-and-coming professionals.
