unicornnews: Second Brunswick Internship complete

At the end of November six more black and minority ethnic graduates from the University Of East London completed the second Brunswick Internship Programme, the unique PR training programme run by Unicorn Jobs with our sister company Taylor Bennett and leading communications firm Brunswick, designed to address diversity in the communications industry.

Over ten weeks, six talented communicators at the very start of their PR careers received intensive on-the-ground training, with formal sessions on the media, the City, stakeholders, channels and messages, campaign planning, and general business and communication skills, plus introductions to media relations, investor relations, internal communications, public affairs and financial PR.

They also got to meet leading media and PR practitioners from a wide range of companies, including Reuters, Save The Children, BP, The Financial Times, Glyndebourne, CIPR, and The Observer, while also visiting both the Bank Of England and London Metals Exchange.

For the final two days of the internship at the start of this month, the interns were invited to Yorkshire by PR agency Northern Lights, where they met numerous business leaders and PR professionals from companies and organisations based in Bradford, Leeds and Harrogate. Northern Lights CEO Victoria Tomlinson is currently planning to run a similar diversity programme in Yorkshire during 2010.

Commenting on her interest in the programme, Victoria told esPResso: “Skills in corporate communications are needed by businesses, public sector and voluntary organisations – but there is a shortage of black and minority ethnic candidates choosing this career path. When we heard about this internship, we knew it was right for Yorkshire. These six young people were selected from 200 applicants in a gruelling two day interview process. We are sure they will have successful careers – and we also want them to be ambassadors for Yorkshire as they progress.”

Commenting on the Yorkshire visit, one of the interns, Jenard Dyer, added: “As a team, we carried out research before our visit and that started to change our perceptions about Yorkshire. But meeting the region’s leaders and seeing Saltaire, Harrogate and Leeds really blew our minds. We had imagined very rural areas before, and a lot of sheep! We couldn’t believe how much business there is here – there are definitely opportunities to work with Yorkshire in the future as we go into our communications jobs in London”.

You can read about the 2009 Brunswick Internship Programme on the interns’ blog here. If you would like to support future programmes in any way contact Sarah Stimson at sarah@unicornjobs.com

Posted Tuesday December 22 2009 by Chris Cooke

Related categories: Work Experience & Internships