CIPR welcomes Government’s Industrial Strategy and highlights vital role of public relations in economic growth
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has welcomed the Government's new Industrial Strategy, which sets out a ten-year plan to create good skilled jobs and make the UK a quicker, easier and cheaper place to do business.
The strategy, which aims to create 1.1 million new jobs and unlock billions in investment, places Professional and Business Services (PBS) among its eight priority sectors. It recognises the vital role that strategic advisers, including public relations professionals, play in supporting both UK businesses and wider national prosperity, while positioning Britain as home to the world's most trusted advisers to global industry.
The Industrial Strategy's focus on regional growth, with targeted investment in city regions and clusters across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, creates significant opportunities for communication professionals to support local business transformation. As the UK's leading public relations training provider, the CIPR is encouraged by the Government's renewed focus on greater integration of AI, tackling barriers to innovation for SMEs, and the allocation of £1.2 billion each year to enhance skills and access to talent.
Professional public relations is the foundation upon which this Industrial Strategy's success will be built. The Government's commitment to Professional Business Services as a priority sector validates what we have long argued – that expert communication is not a peripheral function, but a core business capability essential for navigating complexity, driving performance, and meaningful engagement with stakeholders.
From helping businesses adopt AI to building the stakeholder trust needed for major infrastructure projects, strategic communication underpins every aspect of this growth agenda. Without strategic communication expertise embedded throughout British business, the strategy simply cannot deliver on its potential. We look forward to working with the Government and industry partners to ensure the PR profession contributes fully to the new strategy and that every business has access to Chartered PR professionals who will be vital to turning the Government's ambitious vision into reality.
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the world's only Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners with over 11,000 members.
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).