A new £1bn government scheme calling upon UK companies to provide work placements could be a massive boon to new graduates and others wanting to get a toehold in the PR industry.
Backing Young Britain, launched by Gordon Brown last week, is encouraging many of the UK's most successful industries to offer work experience to young people.
PR for the project itself is being handled by Blue Rubicon, whose MD, Gordon Tempest Hay, claims that nearly one in five young people want to build a career in PR, advertising or marketing.
Sounds like a grand plan, but in my experience, the PR industry already does a fantastic job on this score. Most companies are only too happy for extra hands and I've heard stories of some companies running almost entirely on unpaid help. Some would say it's exploitative but ultimately its the unpaid individuals themselves who decide how long they can afford to work in this way and such experience is priceless on a CV.
Last year, students on my course were welcomed with open arms on placements at Ford UK, Giorgio Armani, Frank PR, MPAD, Borkowski PR and Tate St. Ives to name but a few
