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Introducing the Taylor Bennett Foundation PR Programme

Taylor Bennett’s award-winning PR training and internship programme, hosted by Unicorn Jobs and sponsored by leading communications companies, exists to encourage BAME graduates to pursue a career in PR.

Over ten weeks as a paid intern you will receive professional training in communications, the media and business, take part in practical assignments that improve and demonstrate your PR skills, and receive specialist careers advice as you start your job hunt. You will also meet leading people in the PR and media industries – past interns have visited Fremantle, Reuters, The Observer, Financial Times, Glynebourne, BP, Save The Children, Edelman and Lexis PR.

You can read blogs from recent interns about their experiences of the programme here on the Unicorn Jobs website.

Details about how to apply for a place on the programme are given below.

The Taylor Bennett Foundation currently runs three PR training and internship programmes each year. The Spring programme is sponsored by Talk PR and focuses on lifestyle and fashion PR. The Summer and Autumn programmes are sponsored by Brunswick and focus on financial and corporate PR.

Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring programme. Application forms for the Summer and Autumn programmes will appear here in March and July respectively.

Contents

What is this programme?
Is this programme for you?
What you will do and what you will learn
Training allowance
Selection process
Assessment Day
Assessment Day Preparation
Dates
Application Form
About PR and Corporate Communications

What is this programme?

  1. The Taylor Bennett Foundation PR training and internship programme is a ten-week full-time training course in public relations, designed to equip participants with relevant skills to work in the PR and corporate communications industry.
  2. There are three programmes each year. The Spring programme is sponsored by Talk PR and focuses on lifestyle and fashion PR. The Summer and Autumn programmes are sponsored by Brunswick and focus on financial and corporate PR.
  3. Participants receive formal training, meet leading practitioners from the communications business, and participate in practical PR-related projects.
  4. The training programme runs for a 10-week period, during which participants are paid a training allowance and receive travel expenses.
  5. There is no promise of employment at the end of this programme, but participants will receive expert careers coaching.

Is this Programme for you?

  1. The programme is aimed at BAME graduates who have graduated in the past three years.
  2. First degree or post-graduate applicants are welcome.
  3. Applicants should have an interest in pursuing a career in public relations or corporate communications in the UK, but are not required to have any previous experience in this industry.
  4. The programme is intended to prepare graduates to work in PR in the UK and to address the lack of diversity in this country. For this reason, although the programme does not guarantee subsequent employment, applicants must have the right to work indefinitely in the UK. Proof of this right will be required.
  5. Applicants must be able to commit for the full ten-week programme. The programme is a full-time commitment, with an intern’s day running from 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday in Central London, with occasional early starts and frequent evening events to attend.

What you will do & what you will learn

  1. Interns will be based primarily at offices of Unicorn Jobs, Taylor Bennett’s sister company, in Shoreditch E1, in central London (nearest stations are Shoreditch High Street, Liverpool Street and Old Street). Assignments and training sessions will take interns to other parts of London and, occasionally, beyond. A travel allowance will be given.
  2. Office hours are 9.30am – 5.30pm and interns will be required to attend the programme between these hours for the duration of the training course. Applicants who live a long way from Shoreditch should consider their journey times before they apply.
  3. Interns’ time will be split between formal training workshops, visits to communications and media companies around London, and participating in practical PR-related projects. They will also have a weekly session at the offices of Taylor Bennett, and another at the offices of the sponsor PR agency (Talk PR or Brunswick).
  4. While on the programme, interns will gain skills, knowledge, and practical experience in the following areas:

Public Relations & Communications
Stakeholders
Channels and messages
Sectors within PR
The role of agencies and in-house teams
The role of a PR executive
Planning a campaign
Journalist relationships
Writing a press release
Preparing and delivering presentations
Corporate events and announcements
Pitching for work
The role of the CEO in corporate communications
Crisis management
Corporate reputation
Corporate social responsibility
How PR fits in with marketing and advertising

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Finance (Corporate & Finance course only)
Understanding the City and investment markets
Investor relations
Financial PR

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Media
The news media in the UK
How a newspaper works
What makes a good news story
How the media is changing
Business media
Broadcast media
Regional and local media
Magazines
The role of the internet and social media
The UK political process

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Media Skills
Grammar and writing skills
Researching stories
Reviewing
The art of blogging
Copyright and media law

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Web & IT
Email etiquette
Web research
Office and Powerpoint best practice
Apple Mac skills
Using a server

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Office Skills
Dress codes and etiquette
Time management
Team work and interpersonal skills
Telephone skills
Office equipment
Health & Safety

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Your Career
Career planning
CV writing
Personal networks: how to develop and use them
Job search
Job applications
Job interview techniques

This training will be delivered through lectures, workshops, meetings with practitioners, practical assignments and visits to PR and media companies in central London.

We would emphasise that participation in this training programme does not guarantee future work; it is purely a training opportunity to provide the successful candidates with the skills to pursue future employment opportunities in PR .

All interns will receive extensive skills coaching and careers advice and will leave the programme better prepared to find the right job and launch their career. We will provide all participants with references and help them with their CV and portfolio.

Training allowance

  1. Office hours are 9.30am – 5.30pm and interns will be required to attend the programme between these hours for the duration of the course. There will be occasional early starts and frequent evening events to attend.
  2. Interns will receive a training allowance in the region of £235 per week (exact rates will be confirmed ahead of each project), less National Insurance contributions. Please note that you may be liable for tax on this income.
  3. Interns will receive a travel allowance from home to Zone 1 for the duration of the programme.

Selection process

  1. Interns will be chosen by a two-stage selection process.
  2. Interested candidates first submit an application form.
  3. A shortlist is then drawn up and these candidates are invited to attend an Assessment Day.
  4. The application form is the most important part of the selection process.

Assessment Day

  1. When we have received all applications we will draw up a shortlist and these candidates will be invited to attend an Assessment Day. The are usually held at the Stephen Lawrence Centre at Deptford Bridge.
  2. You will be required to attend from 9.30am to 4.00pm.
  3. The Assessment Day will consist of written tests, group exercises and individual interviews. You will also be asked to give a presentation.
  4. You will be fully briefed about the Assessment Day before the event (details about this briefing below) to help you perform well at this stage, and will be given advance warning of your presentation topic to give you chance to prepare.
  5. In addition to preparing your formal presentation, we recommend candidates read up on the PR industry and any partner companies involved in the internship, and keep up with key news stories, particularly as reported by the daily newspapers, ahead of the Assessment Day.
  6. You must wear business dress for the Assessment Day.

Assessment Day Briefing Session

  1. In preparation for the Assessment Day, shortlisted candidates will also be required to attend a short (approx 30 minute) Briefing Session the previous week.
  2. You will be fully briefed about what the Assessment Day will involve, and will be given advance warning of your presentation topic to give you chance to prepare.
  3. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by telephone/email to confirm their attendance at both the Assessment Day and the Briefing Session.

Dates for 2011 internships

Programme One: Lifestyle & Fashion PR sponsored Talk PR

  1. Application Deadline: Monday 31st January
  2. Briefing Session: Early February
  3. Assessment Day: Tuesday 15th February
  4. Start date: Monday 21st February
  5. End date: Friday 29th April

Programme Two: Corporate & Financial PR sponsored by Brunswick

  1. Application Deadline: Monday 10th May
  2. Briefing Session: Late May
  3. Assessment Day: Thursday 2nd June
  4. Start date: Monday 6th June
  5. End date: Friday 12th August

Programme Three: Corporate & Financial PR sponsored by Brunswick

  1. Application Deadline: Monday 23rd August
  2. Briefing Session: Late August
  3. Assessment Day: Thursday 8th September
  4. Start date: Monday 12th September
  5. End date: Friday 18th November

Application Form

  1. Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2011 programme (Lifestyle & Fashion PR sponsored Talk PR).
  2. Click here to download an application form.
  3. This should be filled out, in full, and submitted by email to tbf@unicornjobs.com by midday on Monday 31st January.
  4. APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY EMAIL. POSTED APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
  5. Application forms for the Summer and Autumn programmes will appear here in March and July respectively.

About Public Relations (PR) and Communications

PR people manage relationships between companies and their stakeholders, including investors, employees, decision makers and the media. They are the protectors of a company’s ‘corporate reputation’, and play a crucial role in enabling their employers or clients to stand out from the crowd, and to secure the investment, custom and political support they need to succeed.

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