The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is modernising its membership grades to reflect today's profession and is putting individual professional development at the heart of the member journey.
- CIPR Member status extended to PR practitioners with more than two years' professional experience
- CIPR Member status extended to entrants from other professions with a track record of relevant experience and a commitment to professional development
- all new joiners to be enrolled automatically on to the Institute's Continuing Professional Development Scheme
- all member grades to get access to £700 of free online training per year, with substantial member-only discounts on all other professional development products
Following a five-month consultation, the CIPR's governing council has voted to change those regulations which define membership grade progression. Alongside this, proposals to enhance the Institute's commitment to professional development and the Chartered Practitioner level of recognition were agreed.
The changes open the Institute's MCIPR grade to more of its members, removing the time-served model which previously restricted member status to those with over 10 years of professional experience. To better reflect the nature of the profession, Member status will now be available to people who have at least two years' professional experience in Public Relations. Associate status (ACIPR) will be for those who are entirely new to the profession and will come with an expectation to upgrade to full membership after two years in practice and professional development.
Members of the CIPR are entitled to a vote and stand for office in CIPR elections, shaping the future of the Institute. They are eligible to work towards becoming Accredited Practitioners and Chartered Practitioners.
Commenting, Jane Wilson, CIPR Chief Executive, said:
Our profession moves quickly, adapts to change and values experience, whether it is gained through years of dedicated practice, through academic achievement or through rapid career progression. In an industry where, with the right mindset, excellence can be achieved at any stage in a career and where innovation and creativity are the norm, criteria for membership based on long service are no longer relevant.
In recognition of the diverse range of people and backgrounds joining the PR profession, often at senior levels, the Institute has also developed a clear pathway to MCIPR grade. This is for those who have gained their experience in a number of named complementary disciplines including marketing, journalism, advertising and digital. This route will require individuals to have worked in public relations for at least six months, with over two years of related professional experience, to have completed a conversion to PR course and to have signed up to online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the CIPR Code of Conduct.
With professional development the focus for the Institute, being an Accredited Practitioner will become the mark of those who consistently demonstrate greater commitment to professional standards and advancement through qualification.
Being a Chartered Practitioner, something unique to CIPR members, will increasingly become the hallmark for the highest standards of professional practice, with more members encouraged and supported through the rigorous assessment process. The CIPR Diploma, Advanced Certificate and short awards will remain the cornerstone of the industry's professional qualifications.
As well as automatically enrolling new members in a fully resourced CPD system, CIPR members will have access to free online training worth £700 from 1 January 2012, thus supporting them with a significant contribution to their annual CPD attainment. Members will be expected (but not required) to keep their CPD up to date, with Accredited and Chartered Practitioner status remaining dependent upon doing so. The CIPR is also offering a new pricing structure for members, including significantly subsidised and reduced prices on training workshops.
Commenting, Paul Mylrea, CIPR President, said:
Professional development is vital to the future of the industry and an area in which the CIPR has been a leading light for over 60 years. Our commitment to members is to make development through skills training and professional qualifications accessible and affordable but with the highest standards applying throughout, from the Foundation Award to Chartered Practitioner.
Key facts
- there are currently 9,493 Members of the CIPR across all grades
- up to 2,600 Associate and Affiliate members will see their membership status eligible for an upgrade
- full members (MCIPR) currently make up 60% of the CIPR membership
- from 1 January 2012, the MCIPR grade will make up approximately 80% of the overall membership
- in 2011, approximately 3,800 people have participated in CIPR Professional Development activities, approximately 6% of the UK PR industry.
Timeline
- June 2011 – initial Board discussions on member grades and professional development presented to Council
- July to September 2011 – consultation on proposals and development with Membership and Professional Development Committees and Council members
- 20 October 2011 - CIPR council votes to implement regulatory changes
- 17 November 2011 – CIPR announces regulatory changes
- 1 January 2012 – changes come into effect.
About the CIPR
The CIPR is the professional body for PR practitioners in the UK. With 9,500 members involved in all aspects of PR, it is the largest body of its type in Europe. The CIPR advances the PR profession in the UK by making its members accountable through a code of conduct, developing policies, representing its members and raising standards through education and training.
8 comments
I think this is a wholly negative step that can only have been made to increase income from subscriptions. If there has been a consultation, it's news to me. I feel that this totally devalues the full membership status that I worked very hard to achieve and I will be seriously thinking about whether to renew next year. The CIPR are making out that ACIPR was a second class category, whereas it was actually an aspiration in itself, albeit as a stepping stone to full membership.
Anonymous: The process that we went through to reach today's announcement is outlined in my blog on the CIPR Conversation and you can find the link to this on the CIPR home page. The consultation was with the CIPR Council, which is the governing body of the Institute and comprises over 40 elected members from across the UK and representing many sectors and PR disciplines. It also included both the Professional Development and Membership Committees.
I agree that many people have worked hard to achieve MCIPR status and would be keen to know what your route was. But still many more achieved it not based on professional development but by virtue of the time that they had been doing a job within the profession. With these changes, it is our aim to make membership more inclusive, to bring more people (often in senior positions) into the Institute and to put the focus firmly on professional development. Accredited Practitioner will be bestowed on those who participate and achieve the required amount of activity on our CPD programme. Chartered Practitioner, which should become the gold standard for the profession and we will support our members to achieve this challenging and robust award. Similarly, those who have invested in the CIPR Diploma (which once was a route to MCIPR) will now be eligible to become Accredited Practitioners.
As to ACIPR being second class, I don't think that was the case but it did come with fewer rights which are now extended beyond a core of people who have more than ten years of experience. And this is not a revenue generating activity. In fact some upgraded members may see no increase in their subscription fees for almost two years as our policy is to upgrade at the point of renewal and to give a full year, post renewal date on existing grade fees.
I do hope that you find more in our communication today that assures you of our focus on professional development but also recognise that membership of this Institute is a choice and we must each do what is right for our own careers. If you would like to get in touch directly with our membership team with your name and membership number we can give you a more detailed response.
I have to say that I am in agreement with 'Anonymous'. As a self-employed PR consultant who gained membership by funding my own Diploma a number of years ago in order to gain what was sold to me as a real differentiator - full membership status - I am annoyed. I have neither the time nor the funds to attend CIPR workshops in order to differentiate myself further at this point in time, and the value of my membership (which I have just renewed) is now redundant as far as I can see. As there doesn't appear to be any automatic upgrade to Accredited Practitioner for long-serving PR practitioners who gained membership via the Diploma route, I doubt very much that I will consider renewing my membership next year.
Accepted that a consultation process has taken place, but no one consulted me. I just wonder if time served MCIPRs should now be elevated to Fellow status? I've had two spells of membership of the IPR, first in the mid 70's then left as my career branched into broadcasting, TV & film production. I then rejoined and told that my previous period of membership would not count towards Fellowship.
Now that I'm 66, perhaps there is no point in continuing a devalued membership package that anyone can get after 2 years? The NUJ have however granted me life membership ( 40 years ) and I now don't have to pay a membership .... I'm also a full member of Equity and for a sub far less than the CIPR sub. I also get 'free' £10 million public liability insurance... Perhaps the CIPR needs to think outside the box, and really consider if the plethora of bolt on membership grades are really taken seriously b the outside world? We obtained Royal Chartered status but the Royal is omitted from both the name of the Institute and the membership ie MRCIPR just as the Royal Instutute of Chartered Surveyors designate their members MRICS or FRICS.
Ten years down to 2 years is a big drop.
Kind regards
Julian,
It is precisely because we want the member grades to be taken seriously that we have sought to modernise the rules that govern them. We believe the new structures better reflect the PR profession and practice. Ten years to two years is only a big drop if experience and qualification is only linked to the length of time served. In our view, excellence is a mindset and is being achieved at earlier stages in people’s careers. Regarding Fellows, there are no current plans to change eligibility for the Fellowship, but we have engaged with the current FCIPR cadre and there is now a group dedicated to discussing how they can make the fullest contribution to the life of the institute.
Best wishes,
Jane Wilson
Dear Anonymous (at 18:22 on 23 November 2011):
You do not need to study for an upgrade, the choice is entirely yours. The CIPR is committed to making professional development accessible and affordable, but ultimately it is up to you whether you take advantage of it. MCIPR is earned but can be maintained without further professional development whereas Accredited and Chartered Practitioner signal commitment to professional development and require you to maintain up to date CPD records. Accredited Practitioner and Chartered Practitioner will be the evidence by which clients and employers judge expertise and professionalism.
Our intention is to have an MCIPR grade that better reflects the PR profession, which respects experience, but understands that excellence is a mindset and achievement is not dependent on time served. Your point about whether clients understand the differences between grades suggests that by rationalising them, we have taken a sensible step. In terms of practical assistance, hopefully initiatives such as access to £700 of free online training per year for all members and to substantially discounted training workshops will help.
Alison Steel, Director of Professional Development and Membership
Hi there,
All of our contact details are on the following page:
http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/about-us/people/cipr-staff
However, Jane is out of the office today so you may be better off trying tomorrow.
Best regards,
Matt
Over the last ten years I've worked in magazine publishing, political campaigns, corporate comms, and digital. By far the most time has been spent in digital.
I've looked at CIPR membership several times over the last decade, and felt the old structure undervalued my experience in digital - I walked away every time. These changes make CIPR much more attractive.