Higher Education & Training Courses
Undertaking further study and training can be highly beneficial in providing a solid base or adding to your existing knowledge of understanding the who, what, when, why, where of public affairs. Many will consider the value of continuing their studies with some form of post-graduate qualification straight after graduating from their first degree, adding value to their skillset and CV for when they go job-hunting. Others may prefer shorter, more intensive professional courses in helping to fine-tune what they can add to a future employer’s communication team. Many, but by no means all, public affairs practitioners have a degree in politics or a closely related subject, but practitioners with expertise in a completely different or specialist field can be highly valuable to both consultancy and in-house lobbying teams.
Undertaking Higher and Further Education courses relevant to a lobbying career may include complete, or modular, course focus on public affairs, law, PR and communications. Some courses include integrated internships. Relevant educational courses may include the following topics:
- Public Affairs
- Public Policy
- Communications and PR
- Event Management
- Research, Data Analysis and Evaluation
- Media Relations and Crisis Communications
- Campaigning
Training Courses
From evening and half-day seminars to year-long professional development courses, taking part in training will add value to your knowledge and abilities and may lead to the award of a professionally recognised qualification. Employers will often encourage and financially support external training as part of practitioner development. Courses are available through professional associations, private training companies and directly through public affairs consultancies. Relevant training courses can be found online here and include the following topics:
- UK Parliamentary, Devolved Institutions and Local Government processes
- Public Affairs Strategy
- Guide to Policy & Law Making
- Political Campaigning
- EU & International Lobbying
- Community Relations
- Integrated Communications
- Media Relations
- Social Media and Digital PR
- Information Sources, Research & Monitoring