Government Affairs Blog

Does the CIPR diploma make you better at your job?

Having just completed the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ diploma it seems like a good time to reflect on why people sign up and study public relations.

The diploma course covers a wide range of topics: corporate social responsibility, media law, issues and crisis management, professionalism, the nature of public relations and stakeholder engagement.  All this is taught with reference to a developing body of knowledge and business management theory. 

The diploma aims to give the practitioner a strategic view of communications with the objective that they become part of the decision-making coalition in their organisation.

If the student is in an operational or technical role the diploma may equip you with what to expect next in your career and arguably help you along that road.  If you are already in a strategic management position it acts as a check for the student to make sure they are getting it right.  There are downsides to both.  The technician may struggle to relate to the content while the strategist may think they are already practicing the theory.

The exam that was given had a series of questions that focused heavily on the issue of professionalism.  Clearly this is something that is weighing on the minds of those at the CIPR.  Broadly the questions took in whether public relations can be called a profession, how ethics cuts across public relations practice and how the institute can imbue professionalism into practitioners who are not members.

The arguments around trust and ethics fascinated me so much that I made it my final research assignment.

The key attribute of studying the diploma is that it makes you think about what you do for a living and how you do it.  You can focus on one area that is of particular interest.  You will either learn new things or reinforce best practice.  But time given to the existential questions of how and why are incredibly valuably and are rarely allowed space in this 24/7 world.  This is is what is best about studying in general (being allowed the time to think) and certainly what was best about the CIPR diploma.  

And that can only make you better at your job.