The maiden edition of the PR Students on Campus Summit, an initiative to attract new talents to the Public Relations industry has held with two young professionals sharing their career journey.
Organised by Nigerian Women in Public Relations, the first virtual edition was held exclusively for students of the University of Lagos on October 30, 2020.
“The public relations industry in Nigeria is ageing, and there is an increasing draught of fresh talent coming into the profession. It was based on this realisation that we conceptualized the PR Students on Campus Summit,” said Tolulope Olorundero, founder of Nigerian Women in Public Relations.
The two young professionals who spoke to the students about their PR journey were Oluwatomi Lawal, an alumnus of the University of Lagos and Communications Officer at Mosron Communications and Olamide Oni, a Public Relations Executive at Finchglow Group and a graduate of Tai Solarin University of Education.
Lawal spoke on how she discovered Public Relations as a 400 level student, and some of the things she wished she had known while in school.
“If you don’t like to write, you should have a rethink. Public Relations will make you write!” she said while describing a day in her work life,” she said.
Oni got involved in public relations activities from 100 level when she joined a unit in the church as an undergraduate.
“Now, I realise that when we went around asking students why they suddenly stopped coming to church we were actually doing stakeholder and crisis management.”
Explaining further on the essence of the Summit, Olorundero said, “We believe that practising professionals don’t have to reach the zenith of their career before getting credible platforms to share their knowledge and experience.
“So, on the one hand, we provide a learning atmosphere for undergraduate students to discover and learn about the nitty-gritty of public relations, providing sufficient information to help them make an informed career decision. On the other hand, we provide a credible platform for young public relations professionals to develop public speaking skills and also share knowledge.”
Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Dr Adepoju Tejumaiye commended the initiative which he said was noble, noting that while the department has a robust curriculum, events where town and gown can interact always provide practical guidance to the theories taught in class.
According to the 2020 Nigeria PR Report, the Public Relations industry needs to “…ensure we are able to keep our best and brightest talent who can continue to move the industry forward.”
The Report further recommends that “agencies and organisations need to share knowledge from their stories, experiences and case studies with each other and the academia so that we can become a true learning industry. Some of these insights can be presented at seminars and conferences to contribute to the growth of the industry.”
“ It is important that we build a community where professionals can relate and share experiences and then look to see how local context-based solutions can be arrived at to meet clients’ needs.”
As part of the Summit, the Nigerian Women in Public Relations unveiled its Students Ambassadorship program where five female undergraduate students will be selected across each tertiary institution in Nigeria.
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“Our Student Ambassadors will have access to internship opportunities during school breaks. More importantly, the Ambassadors will immediately commence PR activities on their respective campuses, assisting to organize events, manage communications between the organization and their school authorities.
“ The Student Ambassadorship program will help them gain practical public relations experience while giving them access to mentors and other growth opportunities,” said Amarachukwu Chimuanya, the Community Manager for Nigerian Women in Public Relations.
Established in 2019, Nigerian Women in PR is a not-for-profit organization created to build a robust network of practicing and aspiring female public relations professionals of Nigerian descent.
Its aim is to support, inspire and empower these professionals while improving access to career-advancing opportunities.
With its robust programs including #PRin30Seconds, Students Summit and #ThrivethruPR, the organisation is determined to support female public relations professionals get and retain a seat at the table where far-reaching decisions are made.
Tweets from the Summit
I love that we can shape the narrative for organizations as well as NGOs
PR is getting a brand known and trusted. People won’t come to you unless they know what you’re about.
PR is the management of Communications between an organisation and it’s stakeholders
To succeed in PR you have to be someone who takes pride and value in their work. If you are looking for accolades, you may not get it.
I love PR with all that I am.
It is challenging but it gives you the opportunity to know just how Innovative you can be
Look for volunteer opportunities, join university societies, enrol for mentorships.
Don’t sleep on the opportunities you get in school.
One of the things that helped me grow in PR was that I always did my assignments myself. Lol. It helped me become at writing press releases and so on
