CIPR welcomes FleishmanHillard Fishburn diversity initiative
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has pledged its support to FleishmanHillard Fishburn's (FHF) partnership with Career Ready - a nationwide charity seeking to improve access to professional opportunities for students from low income homes.
FHF will become the communications partner for Career Ready’s annual headline event “A Capital Experience”, uniting over 1400 students with influential employers from across the UK. The leading communications consultancy has also agreed to host ten introductory masterclasses at their Bankside office, and will offer summer internships to Career Ready students.
The CIPR's 2015/16 State of the Profession survey found that just 10% of public relations practitioners were from BAME backgrounds. However, the same study revealed under two thirds (62%) of practitioners agree that PR campaigns are more effective when practiced by teams who are representative of the audiences they are communicating with.
Our partnership with Career Ready is yet another statement of intent that we aim to make our agency, and ultimately our industry, a more inclusive place.
Broadening the talent pool isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes business sense. FleishmanHillard Fishburn’s partnership with Career Ready is a much-needed step in the right direction for the PR industry.
The news follows evidence of active discrimination of ethnic minorities in PR recruitment and a lacklustre impetus for change amongst industry leaders, found in the CIPR's 2015 Diversity and Inclusion report (PDF).
Find out more about FleishmanHillard Fishburn's partnership with Career Ready.
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).