Name: Beverley Southern
Age: 19
Organisation Description: I work for a specialist full service PR agency in Ashford, Kent, called Quantum PR. We have a range of clients from a variety of different industries, from recycling and waste management to cosmetic surgery and therapy treatments.
Date Started the PR Apprenticeship: I began my apprenticeship on 20th July 2015.
What were you doing before your apprenticeship? Before I started my apprenticeship, I was at sixth form studying for A Levels in Media Studies, Photography and Religious Studies.
What attracted you to the PR Apprenticeship? Having studied Media for both GCSE and A Level, I was very interested in how influential the media can be on people’s lives. I knew I wanted to find a career that related to what I had learnt at school but I didn’t want to become a journalist. PR appealed to me because of the variety of roles and the opportunities I would have to work with a variety of people.
I knew I didn’t want to go to university, so looked for apprenticeship opportunities – I didn’t want to study anymore, I just wanted to kick-start my career!
What was the highlight of your PR Apprenticeship? There have been a number of things I’ve thoroughly enjoyed about my PR Apprenticeship, but my highlight has to be the first piece of coverage I gained. Seeing something that I had written published online gave me such a wonderful feeling!
What do you feel your apprenticeship helped you achieve? My apprenticeship has helped me to achieve a number of personal goals. Quantum’s Managing Director, Charlie, commented at my recent appraisal that I’ve grown in confidence since the beginning of my apprenticeship, which is definitely true. Having previously been quite shy, my apprenticeship has been the perfect stepping stone between school life and work life, and I’ve gained so much real life experience in a professional environment that I never could have got from attending university.
Quantum PR employs a small but very talented team of individuals, and it’s been great working with them and learning from them. Some of the advice they’ve given me will undoubtedly stay with me for the rest of my career!
Top 3 skills a PR Apprentice needs:
· Organisation skills and the ability to balance coursework with daily tasks from the employer
· Curiosity – what’s the point in learning new skills if you’re not willing to ask questions and see where these talents can be applied?
· A creative mind to come up with new ideas to get the best results for clients
I love PR because…
It’s so varied! I love the fact that I get to work on a variety of client accounts. We do so many different things for each of our clients, and working on multiple campaigns at once ensures that no day is boring!
CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT
Describe a campaign you were involved in and the activities you performed to bring it about:
Working in a small agency, I’ve had the opportunity to manage one of our client accounts practically single-handed. Cory Environmental Trust in Britain (CETB) offers funding to local community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund, and I’ve been actively involved in promoting these projects on behalf of CETB throughout my apprenticeship. The majority of the work we complete for them is media relations, so I’ve been liaising with journalists and writing lots of press releases for the client.
Additionally, I act as the first point of contact for the client and have enjoyed liaising with a number of community project managers about the work CETB’s grants have enabled them to complete.