The Public Relations Society
of Kenya AGM was held two week ago here in Nairobi. While the numbers of the
practitioners had increased compared to previous years, the practitioners
themselves did not turn up in large numbers for this special annual meeting.
Well, I understand many of them had evening events bearing in mind that the
event was held on a convenient day for cocktails here in Kenya.
For those who did not attend, this meeting was
a tipping point for the PR profession in Kenya, after years of struggle; we
finally amended our constitution and institutionalized the profession. Wait ….
From now on it will not just be about popping into any institution that offer
courses in PR and stepping out as a PR guru but it will be about undergoing a
standardized practice based process to become a certified PR practitioner. With
those amends, the door was shut for all those quacks who thought PR was about
knowing a few influential friends and being close to the media.
It will now take you a
minimum of ten years of continuous practice to reach the echelons of the PR
profession in Kenya. One is expected to
attend PRSK certified trainings and workshops, maintain your registration
status all through while supporting the society’s activities .One must also
submit relevant industry papers for review by a certified PRSK examiners body
that will be constituted in the course of the year.
At least for me, the Chairlady was candid
enough to tell me that blogs, webzines and online submissions will also be
recognized. The mention of breakfast forums with industry stakeholder also
raised my hopes of becoming a fellow in a decade’s time. Am confident because
the thought of hot coffee and tea while discussing a profession am passionate
about makes the certification process reasonable.
Well, below is the breakdown
of what it will take to become a successful PR practitioner in Kenya.
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| The practitioners Test |
2 comments:
Dear Paul,
Thanks for you very positive engagement with the PR profession. Professional PR is indeed the direction we must take and it is great knowing that we have support among the ranks of members like you.
Do continue with this very positive discussion. I look forward to reading more and heating more from you.
Jane Gitau (MPRSK) Chair, Education, Training and Research subcommittee (ETR)
Dear Paul,
Thanks for you very positive engagement with the PR profession. Professional PR is indeed the direction we must take and it is great knowing that we have support among the ranks of members like you.
Do continue with this very positive discussion. I look forward to reading more and heating more from you.
Jane Gitau (MPRSK) Chair, Education, Training and Research subcommittee (ETR)
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